A Holistic Approach to Defining Excellence in Online Education: Challenges and the Way Forward

Dr. Narimane Hadj-HamouAssistant Chancellor for Academic Development. HBMEU, DubaiPresident of the Middle East e-Learning Association

The 6th EDEN Workshop: User Generated Content Assessment –Enhancing Transparency and Quality

24th - 27th of October, 2010Budapest, Hungary

A Holistic Approach to Defining Excellence in Online Education: Challenges and the Way Forward

Key Points:

This Presentation Covers:

What is Excellence?

Who defines Excellence?

Pillars of Excellence

Challenges and the Way Forward

The MeLQ Framework

Defining Excellence in Online Education

What is Excellence?

Excellence is the state or quality of excelling.

It is superiority, or the state of being good to a high

degree.

It describes the furthest end of the quality spectrum.

When we think of excellence, we think of an outstanding

aspect, a model of its kind - the very best there is

Excellence is perceived to be a value.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)

Visioning

Planning

Executing

Impacting

The Road of Excellence

Conceptualisation

Contextualisation

Competence

Communication

Confirmation

Constancy of Purpose

Defining Excellence

Driving Excellence

Impacting Excellence

Sustaining the Path of Excellence

Learner Centric Culture

A

O

I

S

D

I

R

E Assessing Excellence

P

D

C

A

PDCAPlanDoCheckAct

DIREDevelopingImplementingRenewingEnhancing

AOISAdoptingOptimisingInnovatingSustaining

P

D

C

A

Plan

Do

Check

Act

D

I

R

E

Developing

Renewing

Enhancing

Implementing

A

O

I

S

Adopting

Optimising

Innovating

Sustaining

Driving Quality Improvement

Growing Quality Capability

Attaining Excellence Standards

Road to Excellence The Triple Loop Approach

Who Defines Excellence?

Governmental bodies (i.e. education departments, MOE, MOHE)

Academic Institutions (senior management)

Learners Parents Employers Faculty and Staff members

What are the Pillars of Excellence?

Curriculum/ Content & Materials Virtual Learning Environments Learners’ Engagement Learners’ Assessment Learners’ Support Faculty and Staff Qualification Institutional Leadership Resources Allocations

Approaches to Address the Excellence in eLearning

Plan

DoCheck

Act

(Generic) approaches to plan

quality

Best- and good practise

examples/guidelinesbenchmarking

Quality certificationand accreditation

Meeting Excellence (competitions)Quality awards

Dieter Euler, 2010

Selection of Quality SchemesPlan

DoCheck

Act

HolisticIntegrated

SpecificUnintegrated

TQM

Medida Prix

AACSB

EQUIS

A-MBA

ASTD

ISO 9001ff.

PAS 1032

Quality on the line

Digita

Sloan-C™ Awards

ZfU

ODLQC

NIeL

Institute for IT Training

ADEC

QAA

CEL

Excellence in Online Education

What is it Really About?

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining the Shape of Institution

"Someday, in the distant future, our

grandchildren's grandchildren will

develop a new equivalent of our

classrooms. They will spend many

hours in front of boxes with fires

glowing within. May they have the

wisdom to know the difference

between light and knowledge."

(427-347 BC) Plato

Educational Institutions – As Open System

An open system is a system

that regularly exchanges

feedback with its external

environment. Open systems are

systems, so inputs, processes,

outputs, goals, assessment and

evaluation, and learning are all

important.

Adapted from “Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development”

A modern university, or

"multiversity," has to operate as a

part of society, no longer as an

ivory tower apart from it.

1911-2003

Former UC Berkeley President Clark Kerr

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining Learning itself

training is something that is

done to someone. learning is

something that one does

Paradigm-shift to Learning

Being told

Deductive(linear)

Don’t know:won’t try

Discovery, experimentation

Bricolage & judgment (lateral)

Don’t know: link, lurk, try

~John Seely Brown

Paradigm-shift from Teaching to Learning

Paradigm-shift from Teaching to Learning

teaching delivering answers directed learning instruction conveying knowledge educating technical

problem-solver creating instructional media

learning facilitating problem-solving self-regulated learning collaboration sharing ideas educating

reflective practioners creating social spaces

Traditional society … Knowledge society …

What Makes up High-quality Learning?

Source: Bransford, Brown & Cocking (1999)

Organizedknowledgestructure

Social embedded

ness(learning

community)

Formativeassessmen

t(feedback)

Focus onlearner(active

learning)

"If we don't focus on the experience

dimension of learning, we run the

risk of mistaking the publishing of

information for learning and

training"

Elliott Masie

Learner

Internet

Instructor

Classes

Learning Communities

Library

Other Universitie

s

Companies

Chat Videoconference

Email Website

OnlineDatabases

Web

Email

WebsiteResources

ChatEmail

OnlineDatabases

Web Site

Chat

New Learning Paradigm...

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining the Learning Environment

Distance learning is a more

general term that includes e-

Learning.

It is any formal educational

process in which the majority of

instruction

and learning takes place with the

student and instructor physically

separate from one another. Distance Education in 1960s

From Distance to e- Learning

Re-defining the Learning Environment

E-learning is not just “e-Training – it is the

synergy of information-on demand, multimedia

communication, instruction, the discovery

and exploration that interactively engages the

learner with greater learning opportunity.

Richard OttoCognitive Design Solutions

Virtual worlds

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining the Role of the Learner and Instructor

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”  

Alvin Toffler

“The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn .”  

Re-defining the Role of Learners and Instructors

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining How Learners are supported

Excellence in Online Education

Re-defining the Future ….

Virtuality is Reality

Virtuality is Reality

Shopping is essential Supermarkets are not

Virtuality is Reality

Banking is Essential – Banks are not

Virtuality is Reality

Healthcare is Essential – Hospitals are not

Virtuality is Reality

Learning is Essential – Universities and Schools are not

Lack of recognition of e-learning in many countries= absence of standards

Lack of differentiation between quality standards in e-learning and conventional education

Global versus contextualized standards Difficulties in selecting appropriate quality

approaches Lack of research and exchange of practices in

some regions of the world

The Quality Dilemma

Limits of Quality Development

Sometimes what counts can't be

counted and what can be counted doesn't

count!

How can we Promote Excellence… the Way Forward?

Long term strategy and policy formulation Community interaction – raising awareness Effective practices organization and

dissemination Institutional competency building Collaborative research work around e-learning

quality framework Partnerships and Special Interest Groups –

Communities of Inquiry

Jointly Developed by

What is MeLQ Framework?

A joint research project between HBMeU and scil.It addresses the distinctive needs of HE and Corporate sectorIt is built around quality improvement practices.It considers various stakeholders’ viewsIt considers the particularities and the context of the MENA region.It is multi-dimensional approach that covers educational, organisational, technological, and economic challenges that arise when implementing e-learning.

MeLQ Framework Dimensions

Quality DimensionsStr

ate

gic

D

imensi

on Institutional Mission &

StrategyTarget PopulationFaculty & Staff Development Le

arn

ing &

Te

ach

ing

Dim

ensi

on Teaching & Learning

ApproachesLearning OutcomesLearners’ InteractionLearners’ Assessment & FeedbackInstructional designProgram/ Course Review

Org

aniz

ati

onal

Dim

ensi

ons Information to prospect

learners’Intuitional effectivenessResponsiveness to needsLearners’ Services

Change

Dim

ensi

on Stakeholders’ perception

of changeWorkload, compensation mattersOwnership and IPPhilosophy of change

Eco

nom

ical

Dim

ensi

on Resources Availability

Cost Effectiveness/ROIsRisk Management

Tech

nolo

gic

al

Dim

ensi

ons E-Learning Tools and

InfrastructuresIT StrategiesAccessibility & Usability Content Reusability Information security & data discovery

Structure of the Framework

Narimane Hadj-Hamou

Certification Process

MeLQ Governance Framework

Best Practices BoardProvide feedback on certification

process & quality framework

International Awarding Body

Awards the quality certification

Supervisory BoardSetup the certification process

and monitors the progress of the quality system

Research Unit Conduct Research Activities to further the development of the

quality framework

MeLQ Governance

Executive OfficePosition & promote the QA

framework MeLQ and manage the day to day operations of the

office

Dr. Narimane Hadj-HamouAssistant Chancellor for Academic Development. HBMEU, DubaiPresident of the Middle East e-Learning Association

[email protected]