17.3: Quality First
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Responsibility for e-learning often falls under an organization’s human resources department or education authority, and typically personnel in these departments are responsible for, and most comfortable with, traditional classroom-based learning approaches. An e-learning environment’s characteristics are different from those of a face-to-face classroom. Online instructors typically do not have visual feedback about learner engagement and must devise new strategies to encourage and measure learner engagement and achievement. Traditional classroom strategies do not necessarily transfer into an e-learning environment.
Whether online or onsite, good instruction is driven by a focus on quality to ensure continuous improvement and organizational performance. Standards for quality in academic settings typically centre on goals for achievement in numeracy, literacy, and critical thinking. In corporate training, standards describe goal achievement of specific skills and knowledge. In both settings, the drive for quality provides a framework for improving retention and raising achievement. Standards for quality learning set reasonable targets and expectations for instructors and students. Quality standards do not prescribe how instruction should be delivered, or how learning should occur. Rather, they set clear, concise, and measurable expectations that assist in selecting instructional strategies, assessment methods, and learning materials that support improved learning and achievement.
The drive for quality in e-learning is highlighted by the development of quality measures described by several organizations. For example, the British Learning Association’s (BLA) ( http://www.british-learning.com /qualitymark/index.htm) and QualitE-Learning Assurance’s eQCheck (www.eqcheck.com/eq/home .html) both set quality measures and approve e-learning content meeting them. The BLA's “Quality Mark” is designed to improve the impact of learning interventions on performance across multiple sectors by setting quality indicators for all aspects of learning materials production and delivery. The focus of the eQCheck is quality assurance through assessment and evaluation of e-learning products and services for both consumers and providers. The BLA and eQcheck quality marks are used to give confidence to providers and consumers much like a vintners’ “VQA” (vintners’ quality assurance) mark does for the selection of wine.
A quality-driven approach invites debate about what constitutes effective learning, no matter the learning environment, instructional approach, or technological sophistication. However, a quality-driven approach can ensure:
- focus on learning, rather than instructional delivery;
- learning solutions that meet both organizational and learner needs;
- learning policies consistent with organizational objectives;
- a relationship between learning and organizational benefits;
- a process for establishing continuous quality improvement;
- a recognized institutional commitment to quality.