E-xcellence methodology: lessons learned over ten years of development and implementation

The E xcellence methodology for quality assurance of e learning in higher education has developed into a flexible and effective approach to quality assurance. It has proved suitable to meet the needs of a diverse range of institutions and national quality assurance regimes, and is applicable to both distance and blended modes. The E xcellence resources (http://e-xcellencelabel.eadtu.eu/) include a quality manual, guidance for institutions and assessors, and an online Quick Scan self-evaluation tool. The manual was updated in 2012 and 2016 to reflect evolving changes in practice. The E-xcellence methodology provides 35 benchmark statements, grouped under six headings: Strategic Management, Curriculum Design, Course Design, Course Delivery, Staff Support and Student Support. Higher education institutions self-assess their capabilities against each of the benchmark statements on a four-point scale. They also prepare a roadmap of future actions which can be mapped to benchmark statements. A visit by external reviewers enriches and complements the self-assessment. This study is based on an analysis of E xcellence self-evaluations and roadmaps at twenty higher education institutions. Tabulating those benchmarks that are rated as not yet adequate, and those which attract the most planned actions, highlights the aspects that institutions have found most challenging as they develop and implement online and blended learning programmes. This profiling exercise indicates that institutions regard issues of strategy, curriculum design and staff support as presenting the greatest challenges. Particular problems include staff workload and developing an online academic community for students. In contrast, the provision of reliable IT systems and hardware is unproblematic

Development of e-Learning Quality Assessment Model in Pedagogical University

The paper is concerned with the practice of implementation of lifelong learning in Volodymyr Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University (Ukraine), analyzed various models of e-learning quality assessment are ana-lyzed. Based on many years of experience, a model of e-learning assessment in Volodymyr Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University (Ukraine) was developed. It includes criteria and indicators for assessment of the e-learning system quality. In order to implement and adapt the model into practical learning process an experimental research was conducted. The article presents the contents of the study, the range of respondents and analyzed results

A virtual campus for e-learning inclusion : the case of SVC-G9

Academics and professionals agree that, to adapt higher education institutions to the XXI century, it is imperative to extend the use of ICT as well as the virtualization of many human-interaction activities. There is therefore a need to move from the use of ICT as support tools to e-learning instruments based on virtual environments. These environments can be used for e-inclusion. That is, systems can be used to remove communication and interaction barriers that people with disabilities may face in the real world. This paper presents a project which implies the implementation of a virtual interuniversity campus where nine Spanish higher education institutions took part. To enhance Web accessibility as the usability of the system by users with disabilities is one of the main project’s objectives. In addition, the paper analyses the teen-year experience of an e-business course for engineers offered simultaneously by the nine universities through this platform. The main conclusions of this work can be valuable to higher education institutions which have implemented or intend to implement a virtual interuniversity campus

Building a framework based on european quality standards for prevention and e-learning to evaluate online training courses in prevention

Prevention practitioners are required to develop their skills and competencies in response to recent advances in prevention science. It is thus important to develop training programmes which ensure the development of a prevention workforce. Aiming to respond to this need, the Specialised Training Course in Addictions Prevention is based on the European Universal Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) and delivered online. In view of this being the first online course based on the EUPC, the absence of training programmes for prevention practitioners in Portugal, and the significance of international guidelines in these two domains (prevention and online distance learning), it was considered important to create a framework which supports the evaluation and monitoring of the course. This paper presents a framework for the evaluation of the specialised training course in prevention based on two models: the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards, and the adaptation of the European Standards and Guidelines to digital programmes and courses – Considerations for Quality Assurance of E-learning Provision. Given the importance of quality assurance in contemporary society, the framework presented in this paper is a tool that may be useful for evaluating other online distance learning programmes which focus on the professional development of prevention practitioners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Learning management systems and cloud file hosting services: A study on students’ acceptance

The aim of this paper is to investigate the motivations that lead higher education students to replace several Learning Management Systems (LMS) services with cloud file hosting services for information sharing and collaboration among them. The research approach is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). More specifically, the model is devoted to identifying barriers and enablers to the acceptance of these technologies. A questionnaire comprising three factors (Attitude toward using technology, Perceived ease of use and Perceived usefulness) was applied to a sample consisting of 121 higher education students. Results show that the perceived ease of use of cloud file hosting services is above that of LMS tools and services and that cloud file hosting services presented higher levels of perceived usefulness than standard learning management tools. In addition, attitude toward using cloud file hosting services is well above that of using LMS tools

Quality Indicators of Virtual Education: A Meta-Synthesis of Approaches, Criteria, and Standards

Background & Objective: Due to the remarkable advantages of virtual education, the increasing development of online education institutions has been approved by education and training authorities all around the world. In spite of their remarkable growth, online education institutions are facing significant challenges such as lack of trust from the society. These challenges are mainly associated with the uncertainties regarding the quality of online teaching and learning. Therefore, it seems essential to pay especial attention to the concept of quality in virtual learning institutions and its measurement for which a comprehensive framework of quality criteria and indicators is required. The main purpose of this study was to extract the indicators and attributes of quality evaluation in virtual education from the existing literature to facilitate the development of a holistic quality evaluation framework for online learning in higher education. Methods: In this qualitative research, meta-synthesis method based on the Walsh and Downe approach was employed. The research method comprises of 6 steps (including goal definition, systematic search for related papers, evaluation of documents, extracting related content, content analyses, and interpretation of findings). From the total number of 438 potentially related academic documents, 41 were selected and analyzed. Results: Through the six step method, 12 quality indicators of online education have been extracted in 4 aspects which include 47 attributes. The extracted indicators for quality evaluation, considering the variety of approaches presented in the literature, provide a comprehensive framework in which the target population, such as online learners, instructors, and employers, has been considered. Conclusion: The main indicators for evaluating the quality of virtual education comprised of students, instructors, courseware/content, learning management system, unit/course structure, technological infrastructure, teaching, learning, support services, professional development programs, evaluation and assessment, and graduates. In the developed quality evaluation framework, the measurement attributes of each indicator have been extracted from the literature. Keywords: Virtual education; Quality indicators; Measurement criteria; Meta-synthesi

Implementation of Distance Education from Face to Face Education of an Engineering Program in Science and Food Technology: A Literature Review

[EN] The implementation of distance education from the face to face modality, has boomed in developing countries because of the benefits it has, achieving greater student enrollment coverage than traditional mode, you cannot achieve. This article provides a study of the state of the art, which considers the factors involved in carrying out the transition from the classroom to the online mode education are, and can be considered as a framework to implement it in different higher educational programs that are in the process of changing the face to face education to the online mode. It also considers the contribution that the theories of distance education have had on the above change[ES] La implementación de la educación a distancia a partir de la modalidad presencial, ha tenido un gran auge en los países en desarrollo debido a los beneficios que tiene, logrando una mayor cobertura de matrícula estudiantil que con la modalidad tradicional, no es posible alcanzar. El presente artículo proporciona un estudio del estado del arte, que revisa cuáles son los factores que intervienen para llevar a cabo la transición de la educación presencial a la modalidad en línea, y que sirve como un marco de referencia para aplicarlo en diferentes programas de educación superior que están en el proceso de cambio de la modalidad presencial a la modalidad en línea. Se considera además la aportación que las teorías de la educación a distancia han tenido en el cambio mencionado anteriormenteCorona Flores, JD. (2016). Implementación de la Educación a Distancia a partir de un Programa Presencial de Ingeniería en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos: Revisión de Literatura. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 14(1):179-202. doi:10.4995/redu.2016.5805.SWORD17920214

Library Services for Distance Learning in Higher Education

Distance education has become an important part of college and university academic programs in recent years, potentially impacting millions of students in higher education each year. This study sought to learn what distance learners use to find information for class research, and how much a library's distance education services impact the students' academic success. As universities continue to extend their campuses virtually, their libraries must follow suit to remain relevant to today's highly digital educational environment. Support is needed from the institutions' libraries through dynamic subject guides, online tutorials, etc. to help increase student comprehension of course material. Important issues for libraries and librarians to address include remote access for student research, collaborative planning with teaching faculty, outreach and marketing to increase awareness of library services and resources, library website integration with course management systems, and assessment of library services for distance learners

Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of an online professional development program for health professional educators: The case of Jimma University

The usage of virtual platforms for reforming teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) is becoming more and more necessary in contemporary higher education (HE) settings. For a comprehensive understanding of the implications of this strategy for CPD, research studies from various contexts are required. This study evaluated the effectiveness and implementation of a pilot online professional development (PD) package called the ‘higher diploma program (HDP)’ for health professional educators (HPEs) in the Ethiopian HE context. We used mixed methods in a Hybrid II design. Additionally, a comprehensive e-learning quality framework guided the overall research and integration of the qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component includes a key-informant interview (KII) with facilitators, a program coordinator, and a single focus group discussion with HPEs. Additionally, the quantitative component includes a cross-sectional survey of the (HPEs’) responses to a self-report questionnaire. The findings show that this pilot project was feasible and well accepted by the HPEs, facilitators, and coordinators of the project. These participants also perceived several implementation challenges as weaknesses of the pilot project. Mitigating the prevailing challenges requires sustained and collaborative efforts by universities, the education and health sector, and other partner institutions. Our interpretations imply that customizing online PD in HE is, ultimately, a local phenomenon that results from individual motivation and interest, institutional capacity, and contextual factors like access to technology, the quality of online PD resources, and program management

E-Learning Adoption: Designing a Network-Based Educational and Methodological Course on "Humans and Their Health"

This study aims to explore the factors influencing the adoption of e-learning platforms in biology education and examine the impact of online learning on students’ performance. This study investigates the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward e-learning, flexibility, content quality, and students’ behavioral intention to adopt e-learning activities. A mixed-methods approach was employed consisting of two phases: a questionnaire survey with structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data and an experiment with an independent sample t-test to assess the impact of online learning on student performance. Findings disclosed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward e-learning, flexibility, and content quality positively impacted students’ behavioral intention to adopt e-learning and their performance. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of the factors influencing e-learning adoption in biology education. Practical recommendations are provided for educators, instructional designers, and policymakers to facilitate the implementation of e-learning platforms in biology education. These recommendations include promoting the perceived usefulness and ease of use of e-learning platforms, fostering a positive attitude toward e-learning, enhancing flexibility, ensuring high-quality content, providing training and support for educators, and considering the needs of students with disabilities. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-06-014 Full Text: PD