The debate of online course quality in traditional universities: A case of UHCL Mohammad A. Rob Management Information Systems University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, Texas 77058 rob@uhcl.edu

Presentation Outline Introduction A Case Study: UHCL Background of the Problem Finding the Answer Results Conclusion & Future Research Online course quality in traditional universities

introduction More and more courses in traditional universities are going “fully” online. What is the purpose of going online? Is it satisfying students or increasing enrollment, or just following others? In most cases, the decision makers are administrators rather than faculty. Online course quality in traditional universities

introduction What is the value added to the university in going online? The enrolment number does not go up, as admission requirements remain same. More and more staff are added to manage online education! What is the value added to the university? What about the “quality” of online education? Online course quality in traditional universities

The case of uhcl There has been a growing concern among faculty members on the “quality” of online courses. Online faculty members advocate: Quality is as good as the teacher. Traditional faculty members question about the quality of online courses. No faculty member wishes to discuss what a faculty member does in his/her physical or online classroom. There is an ongoing debate between the “academic freedom” of a faculty member and the “academic integrity” of a course. Online course quality in traditional universities

Background In recent years, some faculty members suggested that online courses should be marked as “online” in student-transcripts. Others consider online programs equivalent to a paper-mill degree offered by online universities. In Fall 2008, faculty senate C&T committee to up the issue for discussion and formed a sub-committee. Online course quality in traditional universities

The study: online course quality No clear charge for the committee. Committee members ultimately agreed that “online course quality” is the issue. Meetings with Provost, Vice-Presidents, Deans, department heads, and e-mails to faculty. Face-to-face meetings with faculty teaching online courses. Researching journals on online course quality. Online course quality in traditional universities

Results Research shows that students take online courses mainly due to convenience However, there is a concern among faculty whether online courses provide the same quality of learning as face-to-face sessions. SACS, AACSB, and ABET have been looking at the quality aspects of online education AACSB: “Institutions that grant certificates are responsible to show consistent level of academic rigor throughout the institution, and technology is an irrelevant variable.” Online course quality in traditional universities

Results: status at uhcl There is no active policy on online education at UHCL Had no central office to coordinate online education – recently changed Courses were developed without any coordination Faculty members question about the quality of online courses, especially the integrity of online tests, quizzes, and etc. Cheating in online classes is of primary concern Online course quality in traditional universities

Results A faculty member teaching online & face-to-face courses: Online testing can be considered as a method of rewarding the dishonest and penalizing the honest. Even companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and Novell that provide professional certifications require physical presence of an examinee in a supervised place. Accreditation agencies: Educational institutions that award degree certificates have a responsibility to have quality control processes in place for the benefit of the students. Online course quality in traditional universities

Create school-level committee on online education recommendations The university updates its distance education policy that reflects quality control and assurance for Online Education It must reflect quality-control measures required by SACS, AACSB and ABET Create a university-level committee to verify Quality Assurance of online courses Create school-level committee on online education Create program-level committee Online course quality in traditional universities

Conclusion & Future research Senate C&T committee is still trying to find its charge on online education … It the dilemma of academic freedom of a faculty member versus the question of quality of someone else’s online course! Survey students and Faculty about their perceptions on the quality of online courses Online course quality in traditional universities