Quality Assurance quick presentation

1. Assuring Quality in
Online Courses Through Design
Jenni Hayman, M.Ed

2. Why quality must be
assured
Inside Higher Ed “Equal Promises, Unequal Experiences”
April, 2016 George Washington University students take legal
action against the University for failing to provide a quality, or
equivalent learning experience compared with on-ground
students.
Students paid $33,000 for the masters program, $4,000 more
than on-ground students

3. Defining quality
“Quality means identifying the needs of the student, then taking
steps to meet those needs.” (Endean, Bai & Du, 2010)

4. What students need...
Clear instructions
Effective course organization and scaffolding
Access to instructors and regular interaction with them
Explicitly stated learning objectives
Content that’s current and relevant and aligned with objectives
Assessments that measure objectives

5. What students need...
Clear assignment instructions with high quality examples
Multiple content types (reading, video, audio, images,
interactive learning objects)
Reminders and support
Meaningful and timely feedback
Inclusive design (accessible, diverse)

6. What instructors need...
Support, time, and professional development for course design
Professional development for online instruction including
specific learning management system and online facilitation
skills
Appropriate class size (formula based on department needs
and assessment strategies)
Formative and summative feedback on successes and
challenges

7. Educational developer
role
Support, collaboration and partnership with instructors/subject
matter experts - other stakeholders?
Resource advice for content and assessment strategies
specific to the course topic and discipline
Recommendations for LMS and external tools that achieve
communication and interaction goals within the course
Course design project management

8. Educational developer
role
First run facilitation support and modeling
Trouble-shoot using student data and participation levels
Formative adjustments based on early feedback
Post-course evaluation and recommendations for continuous
improvement

9. Course design for quality
Course planning, outline, learning objectives (LOs)
Active learning design, high expectations, multiple feedback channels, social
opportunities
Content that supports students to meet LOs (including student-curated)
Content in multiple formats assuring accessibility
Assessments that confirm achievement of the LOs - multiple assessment types
Course is well organized with explicit and transparent guidance and high
quality examples of assessments
Course is actively and regularly facilitated by the instructor

10. Course design for quality
Course planning, outline, learning objectives (LOs)
Active learning design, high expectations, multiple feedback channels, social
opportunities
Content that supports students to meet LOs (including student-curated)
Content in multiple formats assuring accessibility
Assessments that confirm achievement of the LOs - multiple assessment types
Course is well organized with explicit and transparent guidance and high
quality examples of assessments
Course is actively and regularly facilitated by the instructor