Quality assurance of web-supported learning: processes, products and services

Abstract

Quality is an elusive, ill-defined and much debated concept. In the field of higher education, we speak of ‘best practices’, ‘quality learning interventions’, ‘design standards’, ‘quality instructional design’, ‘quality services and products’ etc. How do we interpret quality in the field of e-learning and what practical suggestions will assist e-learning practitioners to continually improve their practice? The case study described in this paper is a self-evaluation exercise in an e-learning service unit at the University of Pretoria. This paper proposes a holistic approach to managing the quality of e-learning projects, with respect to processes, products and services to clients. The basis of the paper is a case study which implemented a formal, online Quality Management System (quality of processes) in e-learning at the University of Pretoria. With respect to the quality of e-learning products, the KEA (pronounced “key”, as in “flea”) model is proposed, based on a synthesis of findings from six well-known examples in the literature. The model presents a set of critical success factors for web-supported learning. Quality of service to lecturers and students was investigated by means of e-learning experience surveys, which inform the feedback loop between product specifications and evaluation of web-supported courses, both formative and summative. The Lecturer Experience survey reports on a small sample of qualitative interviews conducted with 22 lecturers at the university. The Student WebCT Experience survey is administered to students at the end of each semester. A Frustration Index and a Satisfaction Index were calculated using the data from July 2003. These measures are monitored each semester to provide management information, by quantifying the added value that an e-learning production and support unit contributes to the quality of teaching and learning.