Assessing the Quality of Online Courses Rayane Fayed Instructional Designer American University of Beirut June 2013
Mar 30, 2015
Assessing the Quality of Online Courses
Rayane FayedInstructional Designer
American University of Beirut
June 2013
Purpose of My Research
What are the standards that should be used to measure the
quality of online courses
AUB’s Path in E-Learning• Moodle @AUB
• The Web-Enhanced Courses
• The Blended Courses
• A first attempt into Online Learning
Online Learning @ AUB: Still A Challenge
• Culture• Technological limitations• Demand• Social isolation• Quality of courses
Defining “Quality”
Robert Gray defined it as an “online course that adheres to 3 basic principles”:
– It meets different learning styles– It encourages interaction– It uses different assessment
methods
The Research Phases
Rubrics Initiatives
Learning effectiveness
Cost effectiveness
Access
Faculty satisfaction
Students satisfaction
The Sloan Consortium Quality Framework and the Five Pillars California State University Chico's
Rubric for Online Instruction
Learner Support / Resources
Online organization and design
Instructional design and delivery
Assessment & evaluation of student learning
Appropriate and effective use of technology
Faculty use of student feedback
PHASE I
7 Principles of Effective Teaching1. Encourages contact between students
and faculty
2. Cooperation among students
3. Active learning
4. Encourages prompt feedback
5. Emphasize time on task
6. High expectations
7. Diverse ways of learning
PHASE I
The Need of a Customized Rubric
PHASE I
The ADDIE Model
• Analysis Phase
• Design Phase
• Development Phase
• Implementation Phase
• Evaluation Phase
PHASE I
The RUBRIC
PHASE II
The “A ” in the Rubric• The Faculty Survey
– The availability– The computer– Background and openness to change– Time Commitment– …
• The Student Survey– Demography– Background– Computer skills– Learning type– Previous online experience– …
• The Course Survey– The purpose of the course– The course goals and objectives– The type the course and its prerequisites– …
PHASE II
The “D” in the Rubric• The Syllabus Design:
– Contact information of the instructor– Contact information of the support system– Course goals and objectives– Course requirement– Grading criteria– Course policy– Course schedule– Rubrics– Overall course design– Outline of the course
• Alignment of course objectives with selected course activities (preferably using the backward design template)
PHASE II
The 2nd “D” in the Rubric
• Learner Support• Course Structure and Design• Instructional Strategies and
Course Content• Student Assessment• Accessibility and Technology
use
PHASE II
The “I” in the Rubric
• Faculty support and training• Faculty Role in the course
PHASE II
The “E ” in the Rubric
• Evaluation of the course (previous steps)
• Feedback from Students– Mid-Semester Evaluations– End-of-Semester Evaluations– Reflections
PHASE II
Testing the Rubric
• WebCT• AUB Courses
PHASE III & IV
Limitations of the Study
• Selected courses were previously taught
• No contact with Instructors
• No Access to student grades
• Non-AUB Courses
Future Studies & Recommendations• Instructional designers as
course auditors
• Conditional questions based on type of courses
• Digitized rubric
Conclusion
Questions?