Using PI to Assess the Quality of Learner Support
The PIs can be used for assessment of a specific practice or process within the distance education program/institution; an entire program; or the entire institution. An institution may choose to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment against all the Criteria or select a particular one.
The selected aspect could be a regular activity in the institution or innovative practice. In our case, we shall select Learner support services.
The first step is to collect data and information about the Learner support services. The PIs will help in indicating the kinds of data to be recorded while implementing the activity. On the basis of the analysis of the collected data, the institution will be able to position its performance in respect of that aspect on a five-point quality scale. This will enable the institution to evaluate its performance objectively and identify the areas where improvement is required.
NOTE: Each institution has distinct characteristics that dictate which internal processes are appropriate at a given time. Over a period of time, each institution must develop its own specific performance indicators, and these need to be dynamic, changing from time to time as the organization evolves.
Using the PIs as A Tool for Quality Assessment
Procedure for Self-assessment
The following procedure can be used to carry out the self-assessment of a distance education program or institution against the criteria and standards in the framework. Apply the PIs to the particular context and record the performance against each of the performance indicators after carefully and objectively analyzing evidence from the defined sources.
Performance on each PI can be rated on a five-point scale in which each level is given a numerical weighting (points) and a descriptor:
Fails to meet the Criteria - 0 Unsatisfactory - 1 Satisfactory - 2 Good - 3 Excellent - 5
To be effective the PIs need to be understood and endorsed by the people and systems concerned. Hence, it is important that everyone involved in the activity under review is aware of the assessment process. To ensure that it has a wider acceptance, proper orientation and training on the PIs should be provided.
Unit Assignment:
(This assessment will earn you up to 30 Marks. You have one week to submit your assignment)
Read the Standards and performance indicators in Quality Assurance toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes. In the QA toolkit standard and Performance Indicators ( PIs), there are 10 criteria.
- Select indicators from the 10 that you can use to develop a tool that assesses the quality of learner support in your institution.
- Carry out the evaluation using the five-point scale you studied above.
- Make any recommendations for improvement of Learner support services
- Do the assessment and post your report of not more than 1000 words.
Unit summary
In this unit, we have learned about the concept of quality control and quality assurance. We have also learned that because of the unique nature of ODL, there are different demands for quality assurance from that of traditional face-to-face learning. We have also looked at the nature of quality assurance in a digital environment. Lastly, we have learned about a toolkit for carrying out Quality Assurance in ODL that has 10 criteria and can be used to assess the quality of Learner support services.
References:
Damme,Van.Dirk.(2002).Trends and Models in International Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education in Relation to Trade in Education Services. OECD/US Forum on Trade in Educational Services, Washington ,D.C.USA
Marciniak, R. (2018) Quality Assurance for Online Higher Education Programmes: Design and Validation of an Integrative Assessment Model Applicable to Spanish Universities in International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Volume 19, Number 2
Marúm-Espinosa, E. (2011). Quality of service in higher distance education. A perspective from Mexico. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 14(2), 49-62.
Nsamba, A., & Makoe, M. (2017). Evaluating Quality of Students’ Support Services in Open Distance Learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 18(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.340391
Open & Distant Learning Quality Council (2012). ODLQC standards. England:
From https://www.odlqc.org.uk/odlqc-standards.
Padilla Vargas, I. (2005). Educación a distancia: Ofrecimientos con calidad y eficacia [Distance education: high quality and effective offers.]. Retrieved from http://www.uprm.edu/ideal/hermes2005/calidad.pdf
Quality Assurance toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes
World Bank (2002), Constructing Knowledge Societies; New Challenges for Tertiary Education , The Bank, Washington DC.