Assessing the Quality of Online Courses Rayane Fayed Instructional Designer American University of Beirut June 2013

Purpose of My Research What are the standards that should be used to measure the quality of online courses

AUBs Path in E-Learning The Web-Enhanced Courses The Blended Courses A first attempt into Online Learning

Online AUB: Still A Challenge Culture Technological limitations Demand Social isolation Quality of courses

Defining Quality Robert Gray defined it as an online course that adheres to 3 basic principles: –It meets different learning styles –It encourages interaction –It uses different assessment methods

The Research Phases Literature review (Initiatives) Common rubrics categories The ADDIE model Analysis of the rubrics Customization of a rubric Development of the rubric Testing the rubric on a Blackboard award winning course Piloting the rubric on an exemplary course Evaluating other courses using the rubric Selecting and evaluating other online courses

Rubrics Initiatives Learning effectiveness Cost effectiveness Access Faculty satisfaction Students satisfaction The Sloan Consortium Quality Framework and the Five Pillars California State University Chico's Rubric for Online Instruction Learner Support / Resources Online organization and design Instructional design and delivery Assessment & evaluation of student learning Appropriate and effective use of technology Faculty use of student feedback PHASE I

7 Principles of Effective Teaching 1.Encourages contact between students and faculty 2.Cooperation among students 3.Active learning 4.Encourages prompt feedback 5.Emphasize time on task 6.High expectations 7.Diverse ways of learning PHASE I

The Need of a Customized Rubric PHASE I

The ADDIE Model Analysis Phase Design Phase Development Phase Implementation Phase Evaluation Phase PHASE I

The RUBRIC PHASE II

The A in the Rubric The Faculty Survey –The availability –The computer –Background and openness to change –Time Commitment –…–… The Student Survey –Demography –Background –Computer skills –Learning type –Previous online experience –…–… The Course Survey –The purpose of the course –The course goals and objectives –The type the course and its prerequisites –…–… PHASE II

The D in the Rubric The Syllabus Design: –Contact information of the instructor –Contact information of the support system –Course goals and objectives –Course requirement –Grading criteria –Course policy –Course schedule –Rubrics –Overall course design –Outline of the course Alignment of course objectives with selected course activities (preferably using the backward design template) PHASE II

The 2 nd D in the Rubric Learner Support Course Structure and Design Instructional Strategies and Course Content Student Assessment Accessibility and Technology use PHASE II

The I in the Rubric Faculty support and training Faculty Role in the course PHASE II

The E in the Rubric Evaluation of the course (previous steps) Feedback from Students –Mid-Semester Evaluations –End-of-Semester Evaluations –Reflections PHASE II

Testing the Rubric WebCT AUB Courses PHASE III & IV

Limitations of the Study Selected courses were previously taught No contact with Instructors No Access to student grades Non-AUB Courses

Future Studies & Recommendations Instructional designers as course auditors Conditional questions based on type of courses Digitized rubric

Conclusion

Questions?

Thank You! Rayane Fayed lb.linkedin.com/in/rayanef/ lb.linkedin.com/in/rayanef/