Institutions considering online and blended learning (OBL)
face the challenge of strategically adopting OBL to develop,
implement, monitor, assess and improve the quality of programmes and
courses. The principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI)
allow this challenge to be addressed. Effective CQI management
implies that quality assurance and quality improvement follow and
inform each other as part of a continuous cycle. Scholars report
however, that quality management of OBL usually focuses on
assurance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a state of the
art approach for effective CQI management which allows practitioners
to achieve coherence between quality assurance and improvement of
OBL. In this conceptual paper we link and integrate work across
fields to address the challenge of achieving coherence between
quality assurance and improvement. We discuss research in the
context of CQI that uncovers features of OBL that prevent
practitioners from achieving coherence. The conceptual model for
effective CQI of OBL integrates data based decision‑making. The
conceptual model provides a foundation for research on the
effectiveness of this CQI management approach in the context of OBL.
The quality management approach supports practitioners during the
entire CQI‑cycle to foster dialogue and consultation between all
stakeholders in the institution in order to strategically develop
assess and improve the quality of OBL programmes and courses. The
originality of the model lies in making explicit data‑based decision
making as a driver for effective CQI management in the context of
OBL.
Spacelab data processing facility (SLDPF) quality assurance expert systems development
