QA in blended and online education: Adapting QA Methodologies to the Educational Developments
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This document summarizes a presentation on adapting quality assurance methodologies to educational developments in online and blended programs. It discusses four action lines including surveys of accreditation practices and country reports on quality assurance structures for new modes of teaching. Key challenges for quality assurance in online education are identified, such as pedagogical models, staff support, and including blended programs in quality frameworks. Ways forward are proposed for institutions, quality assurance agencies, governments, and the European Commission to support quality blended and online education through professional development, guidance, funding, and international cooperation. The importance of dialogue between institutions, agencies, and governments on quality assurance policies for innovation is emphasized.
QA in blended and online education: Adapting QA Methodologies to the Educational Developments
- 1. Adapting QA Methodologies to the Educational Developments “Quality Assurance of blended and online Programmes” EADTU webinar week: Quality in Higher Education 19th September 2018 George Ubachs EADTU
- 2. Educational developments In European and Western universities, three areas of provision emerge consistently: • degree education • continuing education • open education (MOOCs, OERs) Education within a changing world 2
- 3. 4 action lines • Survey on accreditation of QA in blended and online education • EADTU-ENQA Peer Learning Activity on QA in blended and online education. Incl. questionnaire at 3 levels • CPL country reports on uptake of new modes of teaching incl. QA structures • SWOT on QA in online education in Europe 3
- 4. Survey on accreditation of online education • Survey on practices of quality assurance and accreditation in 15 European countries. • It dealt with national frameworks and regulations, institutional developments in universities, current practices of external quality assurance for online and distance education, aspects of internal quality assurance for blended, online and distance education, and finally practices of accreditation of online and distance education. • 18 universities responded from Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom. • Results presented in the European Parliament CULT Committee 4
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- 6. Legal frameworks (CPL) Legal frameworks are largely permissive of the introduction of digital education in all the eight case study countries, and state that different forms of education (traditional face-to-face, blended and distance) are all valid. 6
- 7. No revisions of accreditation processes There is very limited evidence that suggests there have been substantial revisions to university accreditation processes. It is likely that many universities had to think carefully about how they ensured that the quality of their provision would remain at a high level whilst introducing technology, and clearly uncertainty about how to do this still exists for some, perhaps to a degree, all (Ingolfsdottir, 2014; Mapstone et al, 2014). 7
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- 9. 9 Bringing together in dialogue QA agencies, universities and governmental bodies
- 10. Partners in dialogue Higher Education Institutions 1. AGH 2. Anadolu University 3. DCU 4. EduOpen 5. FIED 6. Hellenic Open University 7. KU Leuven 8. MCSU 9. Open University Cyprus 10. Open University of the Netherlands 11. OUUK 12. TAMK 13. TU Delft 14. UNED 15. UniDistance Switzerland 16. UNINETTUNO 17. University of Jyväskylä 18. UOC Governments • European Commission (EACEA) • Flemish Ministry of Education Quality Assurance Agencies 1. Finnish Education Evaluation Centre FINEEC 2. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) 3. Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CY.Q.A.A.) 4. AQ Austria 5. Evalag, Evaluation Agency Baden-Wuerttemberg 6. AQU Catalunya 7. AAQ Switzerland 8. ASHE 9. ACSUCYL 10. UKÄ 11. NVAO 12. Fundación para el Conocimiento Madrid (FCM) Umbrella organisations • ESU • ENQA • EUA • EADTU 10
- 11. Aim of this PLA • The PLA will identify next steps in the development of quality blended degree and online continuing education in a dialogue between main stakeholders: universities, governments, quality assurance agencies and students. • Identifying each others perspectives, roles, challenges, needs, experiences and expertise 11
- 12. Main challenges for quality blended and online education 1 Governmental and European strategies and frameworks for innovation 2 Institutional strategy and cultural changes / mind-set 3 Pedagogical models and design for blended courses 4 New expertise needed and staff support 5 Student support 6 Including blended education in the quality framework of the university 7 Funding of innovation 8 Increased workload 9 Institutional evaluation, research and innovation 12
- 13. Ways forward Institutional: • Empower teaching staff by continuous professional development on blended learning and innovation, using a maturity model. Teaching and learning departments organize CPD for teaching staff • Teaching and learning departments supporting staff in course design teams and identifying patterns of good practice in their institution and in the partnership • Teaching and learning departments organizing institutional evaluation and research on the design, implementation and effects of blended teaching and learning • Create peer groups and subject area networks • Develop multimedia labs • Student support integrated in the design of the course 13
- 14. QA agencies Making quality assessment supportive for blended and online programmes • Create an open mind to new ideas / new methods / new pedagogies • Developing criteria for assessing innovation (level of innovation) by adopting a maturity model for blended education ; improve methodological approach • Start from learning outcomes and assess if the teaching mode (any, incl. blended) is appropriate to achieve that outcome • Evaluate teacher competences for blended and online teaching and learning • Providing guidance (standards & guidelines) to institutions which want to set up blended or online courses • Sharing good practices (agencies supporting agencies) • Inviting experts on the QA review panel with experience in blended and online / distance learning • Provide a(n international) database of experts and eventually look for reviewers / evaluators abroad 14 Ways forward
- 15. Ways forward National governments • Capture the state of affairs, current needs and opportunities on blended degree education (on campus), making a survey of the institutions and make a picture of the landscape, involving an expert group • Explore a maturity model for blended teaching and learning • Organise a strategic working group (advisory) and develop a strategy at national level involving all stakeholders (university, students, social partners) and experts • Activate continuous innovation – Stimulate or organise continuous professional development of staff – Stimulate institutional leadership for continuous innovation – Fund Research & Innovation projects (R & I) 15
- 16. 16 European Commission • Develop a strategy on digital higher education • Support international cooperation, collaboration, share and exchange expertise European-wide • Develop country reports • Share and exchange good practices and propose recommendations on how to use technology for digital learning and digital assessment • Support teacher education, sharing of teacher training programmes • Fund international cooperation projects (and simplified procedures for grant funding)
- 17. The dialogue A dialogue on innovation and quality assurance between institutions, quality assurance agencies and governments should be organized in order to support these developments and to promote appropriate quality assurance policies • Institutions: developing and implementing policies and strategies for digital education in blended degree and extended continuing education provisions, an internal quality framework with a maturity model for online/blended learning and for continuing and open education • Quality assurance agencies: adapting and fine-tuning criteria/indicators and presenting guidelines for innovation and digital modes of teaching and learning, and sharing good practices of internal and external quality assurance • Governments: developing drivers for innovation and quality and reviewing regulatory frameworks and practices for quality assurance and accreditation in higher education encouraging and accelerating innovation. A vision for change should be expressed through national strategies. This dialogue should lead to concerted actions towards innovation and quality 17
- 21. 12 Fields of Expertise…