DEVELOPMENT OF A QUALITY ASSURANCE
SYSTEM FOR ELEARNING PROJECTS
Mark Nichols
eLearning Consultant, EDI Faculty
Universal College Of Learning (UCOL), NEW ZEALAND
[email protected]
Abstract
There are many ways in which eLearning can be applied in tertiary education.
Because the applications can be technologically complicated, and because their use
does not always match well with traditional modes of teaching and learning, much
care needs to be taken in the design, creation and implementation of eLearning
solutions.
UCOL has developed a quality assurance system that assists its eCampus team to
provide effective eLearning solutions. Based on a set of four quality assurance
procedures that facilitate five distinct applications of eLearning, the system
combines flexibility with an effective design structure. The system further benefits
from its clear step-by-step processes and self-correction through planned project
reflection time.
Keywords
Quality assurance, e-learning, levels of e-learning, quality systems.
The Importance of Quality
While quality is difficult to define, its importance is universally appreciated (Garvin, 1988). Quality’s
commercial importance comes from its perceived ability to lower costs, improve employee commitment,
and ensure continuous improvement within a dynamic environment (Dawson and Palmer, 1995).
Quality is not just about zero defects; improving the performance and style of an end product are also
important factors (Deming, 1994). Garvin (1988, p.36) states the role of quality personnel:
Today’s quality professionals bear little resemblance to their turn of the century predecessors.
They are managers, not inspectors; planners, not controllers; sensitive to markets as well as to
manufacturing.
Quality is described as a concept rather than a technique, so its implementation is very much dependent
on the type of organisation or process at hand (Gilmour and Hunt, 1995). Identifying processes is an
important step toward improving them and predicting the consequences of changes; process maps should
consider all aspects of the service including suppliers, clients, design, production, and delivery (Deming,
1994; Gilmour and Hunt, 1995). According to Deming (1994), some 94% of quality
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