Quality Assurance and e-Learning

Does traditional e-learning still fit the knowledge society? Quality issues

Prof. Peter B. Sloep

Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies, Open University of the Netherlands

UNESCO Conference, Den Haag, July 3, 2009

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Overview

• Quality

• Quality in e-learning

• Challenges

• Theses

Qualitysome assumptions

• ... it is about transactions between learners and educational institutions, social contract

• ... it is about allowing learners and public bodies to understand and assess the quality of educational offerings

• ... twist in the present context, across nations, cultures, educational systems, etc.

Quality assurance

Limits to what can be achieved

• Understanding is context-bound

- incommensurability (Kuhn)

- metaphors (Lakoff and Johnson)

• Standardisation (uniformity) doesn’t help

- We don’t (and shouldn’t) want it

- irreducible role of cultural differences

What can be done

• Do not aim for interoperability of the objects of quality assurance (EQF?)

• Aim for quality assurance at meta-level, of the processes and procedures involved (cf. UNESCO Guidelines, Paris 2005).

• Even here limits apply, but less severely so.

Qualityand e-learning

• Instrumentalist: technology is ‘just a tool’ you can use it or ignore it, nothing substantial changes

• Transformative: technology is a cultural driver, it has effects beyond the intended ones (Bijker: interpretative flexibility of artefacts)

Two views of e-learning as an innovation

• Sticks to formal learning paradigm

• Leads to substitution of or addition to existing technologies and practices

• Does not affect organisation structures, teachers remain ‘sages on the stage’, even if it is a virtual stage

Instrumentalist view of e-learning

Examples (1)

• e-mail, fora, bulletin boards as additional communication channels with students

• instant messaging, chat as office hours

• downloadable presentation slides and lecture notes (VLE, iTunesU, MIT)

• virtual classrooms in lieu of real ones (universities build presence in 2nd Life)

Examples (2)

• reflection blogs in teacher training (Wopereis)

• synchronous coaching with earpiece (Hooreman)

• gps-enhanced phones to prompt assignments (Stohr)

Transformative view of e-learning

• Considers other learning paradigms such as informal, non-formal, lifelong learning

• Leads to unintended and unexpected, ‘weird’ uses of existing technologies or fully new ones

Example Learning Network

• NB: R&D project, no instantiations yet

• LN=DF online, topic-bound, social network designed to foster non-formal learning

• Meant to address the needs and wants of the knowledge society

• Meant to merge the worlds of learning and working, of learners and professionals

• Upsets traditional university organisation, from one to several service providers, of content (OER), tutoring, assessment (APL, ACL), certification, advice on learning trajectories

• Uses a different business model; pay per service and service level; allow advertisements, allow anonymous use of personal data; etc.

• Quality control takes a different shape in either case

• For instrumental e-learning: use existing as benchmark. Check if substitute is adequate, if addition is useful

• For transformative e-learning: new benchmarks for success are needed

Conclusion

Challengesfor quality in e-learning

Students, professionals

instrumental view transformative view

•Do not differentiate between e-learning and ordinary learning

•e-tools are part and parcel of learning environment

•To what extent does a LN help students & professionals fulfill their ambitions?

•Does it help meet the needs and wants of the knowledge society?

(Networks of) Universities

•nothing new, existing arrangements suffice

•Anticipate on service provider role of universities in knowledge society

•join forces•quality is a traditional strength of universities, keep it

Good practices

•cf. existing specifications ISO JTC1 SC36 on Quality Management and Assurance Metrics

•CEN/ISSS WS LT, IMS Global, IEEE

•none for LNs really •somewhat: ISO TC 232 Learning Services for Non-formal Learning and Training

Theses

1. Process-oriented quality control is useful for cross-cultural quality assessment, but only to a limited extent (it lacks focus on substance)

2. Substance oriented quality control across cultures is hardly possible (incommensurability etc.)

3. When discussing quality issues in relation to e-learning practices, no additional measures are needed to cope with instrumental e-learning practices other than to differentiate between substitution and addition

4. When the discussion concerns transform-ative e-learning practices, like Learning Networks, no frameworks exist yet

5. In either case, UNESCO should stay on top of quality control, to create a level playing field and to help avert the danger of a digital divide between cultures, regions

6. UNESCO should participate in ISO JTC1 SC 36 and TC 232 (if allowed)

Questions or more info

peter.sloep <at> ou.nlhttp://pbsloep.nlhttp://celstec.org

http://dspace.ou.nl

Quality Assurance and e-Learning

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