Assessment, Accreditation & Quality: the Virtual Difference

Jackson Community CollegeJanuary 14, 2008

Michael Wahl, MCCVLC

“Digital Divide”

• Perceptions of quality– online learners / everyone else– professional educators / non-

educators• Perception is reality• Perception may be influenced by

events from some time ago...

Perception of Quality

• Practitioners / faculty• College administrators• Accrediting agencies• Employers• Public policy makers

– Legislators / legislative staff– Government agencies

• General public

Quality Learning

• The “No Significant Difference” Phenomenon (Russell, 1999): learning is not determined by the technology, but by “the instructional method embedded in the media"

• Tinto (2003): student performance– motivation– engagement– time on task

Quality Learning

...Is related to quality instruction, rather than any particular mediumor technology.

Perception of Quality

• Practitioners / faculty• College administrators• Accrediting agencies• Employers• Public policy makers

– Legislators / legislative staff– Government agencies

• General public

The Challenges

• Recognize the quality inherent in online courses and programs

• Communicate to others outside our profession

• Take online programs, courses and support services to the next level

Faculty Perspective

• Course/program quality– Content: Subject matter experts

• Academic department/division• National professional associations• Transfer universities

– Course organization & delivery• Rubric• “Quality Matters”

Administrative Perspective

• As an administrator, experience and intuition tell me quality is present when faculty develop online courses & programs

• Other constituencies want evidence– Accreditors– Employers– Public policy makers– General public (press)

Accreditor Perspective

• Transition from evaluating “inputs” – faculty credentials– volumes in library– budget

• Assessment of “outcomes”– Student achievement

• So, why worry about delivery method?– Congress...maybe they got the e-mail...

Perceptions of Quality

“Academic Qualifications available from prestigiousNON-ACCREDITED universities. Are you getting turned down time and time again for the job of your dreams because you just don't have the right letters after your name? Get the prestige that you deserve today! Bachelors, Masters and PhD's available in your field! No examinations! No classes!No textbooks! Call to register and receive your qualifications within days! 24 hours a day 7days a week! Confidentiality assured! Call +012063...”

Higher Learning Commission of NCA

• Threshold for online accreditation:– when college offers an online

program of study that is two years in duration or greater

• JCC participated in MCCVLC collaborative accreditation initiative from 2002 to 2005

• 26 of 28 Michigan community colleges are now accredited for online programs

Issues for NCA

• Standards for assessing quality of online courses & programs

• Provision of support services for online learners

• Capacity of college to maintain online programs into the future– Administrative commitment– Professional development for faculty /

staff

MCCVLC Initiatives – Capacity for the Future

• Professional development - recent– Ensuring quality in your online course– Learning objects– Podcasting– Accessibility

• Pending workshops:– Wiki’s, blogs & pods – March 27

@Kirtland– Ensuring Quality – Early April @KVCC

• Suggestions for future workshops???

MCCVLC Initiatives – Support Services

• FIPSE Grant: MCCVLC “Help Center”– Orientation– “Research Help Now” – online reference desk– Technology detection tool & other “help

desk”– Test proctoring– Tutoring

• VLC Strategic Plan – continue shared development & delivery of support services?

MCCVLC Initiatives – Ensuring Quality

• Online Course Guidelines & Rubric– Developed by Michigan community

college faculty for Michigan community college faculty

– http://www.mccvlc.org/~staff/Course-Guidelines-Rubric-v1.2.html

• Quality Matters – national initiative– http://www.qualitymatters.org/

Course Rubric

• Course Outcomes • Course Construction• Interaction – students / faculty / content• Assessment techniques• Resources provided• Technologies employed within course• Support for students• Course maintenance

Course Rubric

• Beginning• Developing• Accomplished• Exemplary

• Purpose of rubric is to move each online course along the continuum from beginning to exemplary

MCCVLC Course Quality Assurance Pilot Project

• modeled after “Quality Matters” – a FIPSE-funded project of Maryland Online

• inter-institutional peer review of courses• entirely voluntary• utilizes course rubric• colleges need to provide 3 reviewers for

each course to be reviewed

MCCVLC Course Quality Assurance Pilot Project

• Winter 2008 pilot program• Applications are online

– Course review application– Faculty reviewer application

• For each course to be reviewed, participating colleges must provide three faculty to serve as reviewers

• Reviewers will be trained in review methodology

VLC Quality Assurance – Anticipated Outcomes:

• Continuous quality improvement • Improved student learning• Faculty professional development,

recognition & satisfaction• Evidence for accreditation efforts• Inter-institutional sharing of expertise• Build quality into “next generation”

courses

MCCVLC Course Quality Assurance Pilot Project

• Winter 2008 pilot program• Please consider participating!

– mccvlc.org – follow link to staff site– Contact me: wahlm@mccvlc.org– Contact JCC staff

“Next-generation” Online Courses

• More interactive learning activities– Animation– Video – streamed or from DVD’s– Simulations– 2nd Life

• Experiential learning – participate & reflect– give a speech– visit a local museum or landmark– participate in an off-campus activity

(service learning?)

“Next-generation” Online Courses

• Learning activities based on individual student preferred learning style– Audio for poor readers– Simulations for experiential learners– Video for visual learners

• Learning activities based on gaming– Not Nintendo arcade-type games– Success in ‘game’ equates to meeting

course objectives– Multi-player computer games can involve

learning both individual and social skills

“Next-generation” Online Courses

• Courses may utilize alternative devices:– Gaming devices– Cell phone – text messaging / notification– Ipod – podcast of content

• “Wiki” technology – Wikipedia...– Generic information resource– Wiki technology adopted by communities

in higher education – discipline-based?

“Next-generation” Online Courses

• Social Networking – Web 2.0– Facebook– My Space– You Tube– 2nd Life

“Next-generation” Online Courses

• Enhanced access• More adaptable to learning

preference• Improved retention• Greater student learning

Who Is It For?

• For our students– Employment opportunities– Enrichment

• For those who taught us– Keeping higher education

current• For our communities

– Economic development• For ourselves

Let’s Talk...

•Questions?•Comments?•Suggestions...

Assessment, Accreditation & Quality: the Virtual Difference

Jackson Community CollegeJanuary 14, 2008

Michael Wahl, MCCVLC