Quality Assuring Online-Learning Using the Commonwealth of Learning Regional Community of Practice for Quality Assurance Guidelines

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cosmas Maphosa ◽  
Khetsiwe Eunice Mthethwa-Kunene ◽  
Talent Rugube
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Regional Community

scholarly journals Evaluating Online Course Quality: A Study on Implementation of Course Quality Standards

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney Zimmerman ◽  
Barbara Altman ◽  
Bethany Simunich ◽  
Kay Shattuck ◽  
Barbra Burch
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Course Quality ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study examined the relationship of intentional faculty professional development, intentional online course design, and informal course reviews to the results of official interinstitutional peer review within higher education institutions. Quality MattersTM (QM) provided the setting for this exploration of the relationship of three independent variables at the course level at institutions that have voluntarily implemented QM online learning quality assurance tools and processes. Data for this study were extracted from a larger statistical project conducted regularly by QM, which included the results of 5,436 online course reviews completed between September 2014 and May 2020 at 360 institutions. These courses were assessed for meeting quality standards in structured, interinstitutional, reviews, conducted by three faculty peer reviewers. QM provided the setting and data for this study; however, the study was not about QM. Instead, it was about exploring the relationships of variables within an institution’s control in the quest for benchmarking and improving online learning. Having and disseminating online course quality standards does not ensure implementation of those standards and quality assurance processes. This observational study provides a better understanding of how the implementation of those standards and quality assurance processes might impact outcomes.

Building a Learning Community Online

2011 ◽  
pp. 309-321
Author(s):  
Tessa Owens ◽  
Petra Luck
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Early Years Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
E Learning

This chapter reviews a pilot e-learning project at Liverpool Hope University Col-lege. It will illustrate an approach to online learning aimed at students working inthe early years education and care sector and attempts to demonstrate the devel-opment of a “community of practice.” This chapter will discuss how the contextinformed the rationale for the approaches taken by the staff team and providescommentary from student evaluations highlighting their experiences.

Communities of practice as a multidisciplinary response in times of crisis: adapting to successful online learning practices

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Delivery Model ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Online Format

Purpose There are many success stories during Covid-19 of academics providing expertly delivered online learning experiences for tertiary students locally and around the world. This paper aims to consider how success was achieved by academics who are not specifically educated with the knowledge and skills to convert a traditional delivery model into an online format and who conventionally spend years working on single projects before they come to fruition. Design/methodology/approach This study provides, as a possible explanation for success, the willingness of academics to embrace a tertiary sector rather than discipline-specific collaborative learning approach to their own informal education in online learning practices through communities of practice. Using learning theory, both analytical and reflective methodologies are adopted through an examination of an example of a successful academic community of practice. Findings Engaging with a multidisciplinary community of practice can be highly beneficial for academics not specifically educated with the knowledge and skills to convert a traditional delivery model into an online format. Communities of practice provide more than online educational skills; they foster a sense of togetherness and a safe environment to share concerns and challenges on both a professional and personal level. Originality/value The benefits of communities of practice for academics during a period of profound operational disruption have yet to be documented in the literature. Specifically, this study highlights the supportive environment provided by a community of practice by examining the successful large-scale transition from face-to-face learning to an online environment during a pandemic.

scholarly journals P018: Journal club functions as a community of practice that safeguards quality assurance in the era of free open access medical education: a qualitative study

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S70-S71
Author(s):  
D. Ting ◽  
B. Bailey ◽  
F. Scheuermeyer ◽  
T. Chan ◽  
D. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Practical Wisdom ◽  
Journal Club ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
New Literature

Introduction: The ways in which Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians interact with the medical literature has been transformed with the rise of Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM). Although nearly all residents use FOAM resources, some criticize the lack of universal quality assurance. This problem is a particular risk for trainees who have many time constraints and incompletely developed critical appraisal skills. One potential safeguard is journal club, which is used by virtually all EM residency programs in North America to review new literature. However, EM resident perspectives have not been studied. Our research objective was to describe how residents perceive journal club to influence how they translate the medical literature into their clinical practice. Our research question was whether FOAM has influenced residents’ goals and perceived value of journal club. Methods: We developed a semi-structured interview script in conjunction with a methods expert and refined it via pilot testing. Following constructivist grounded theory, and using both purposive and theoretical sampling, we conducted a focus group (n = 7) and 18 individual interviews with EM residents at the 4 training sites of the University of British Columbia. In total, we analyzed 920 minutes of recorded audio. Two authors independently coded each transcript, with discrepancies reconciled by discussion and consensus. Constant comparative analysis was performed. We conducted return of findings through public presentations. Results: We found evidence that journal club works as a community of practice with a progression of roles from junior to senior residents. Participants described journal club as a safe venue to compare practice patterns and to gain insight into the practical wisdom of their peers and mentors. The social and academic activities present at journal club interacted positively to foster this environment. In asking residents about ways that journal club accelerates knowledge translation, we actually found that residents cite journal club as a quality check to prevent premature adoption of new research findings. Residents are hesitant to adopt new literature into their practice without positive validation, which can occur during journal club. Conclusion: Journal club functions as a community of practice that is valued by residents. Journal club is a primary way that new evidence can be validated before being put into practice, and may act as quality assurance in the era of FOAM.

Quality Assurance in E-Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 231-248
Author(s):  
Stacey McCroskey ◽  
Jamison V. Kovach ◽  
Xin David Ding ◽  
Susan Miertschin ◽  
Sharon Lund O’Neil
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Student Views ◽  
Industry Standards ◽  
E Learning

Quality is a subjective concept, and as such, there are many criteria for assuring quality, including assessment practices based on industry standards and accreditation requirements. Most assessments, including quality assurance in e-learning, frequently occur at three levels: individual course assessments, department or program assessments, and institutional assessments; frequently these levels cannot be distinctly delineated. While student evaluations are usually included within these frameworks, student views are but one variable in the quality assessment equation. To offer some plausible perspectives of how students view quality, this chapter will provide an overview of quality assurance for online learning from the course, program, and institutional viewpoints as well as review some of the key research related to students’ assessment of what constitutes quality in online courses.

Developing a community of practice for quality assurance within healthcare assessment

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Shannon L. Saad ◽  
Cassandra E. Richmond ◽  
Karina Jones ◽  
Bunmi Sherifat Malau-Aduli
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Healthcare Assessment
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