Qualität beim E-Learning: Der Lernende als Grundkategorie bei der Qualitätssicherung
Article by Ulf Ehlers
- Published
- Name of issue : www.medienpädagogik.com
- Date of issue : 2003-03-25 0:0
- Web address : www.lernqualitaet.de/ol/qualitaet_ehlers.pdf
- Language : German
Subjective Assesment
A good article highlighting the fundamental issue of quality of elearning. Ehlers clarifies as far as possible the meaning of quality in an elearning context and raises some important questions about the implementation of a renewed understanding of quality into ICT based education and training. Nevertheless his conclusion that the learner has to be the centre of all learning processes in order to ensure quality is not really surprising.
Overview
The article is focussing on two questions: “What is quality?” and “How can quality be assured?”.
Answers to this questions are crucial if eLearning is supposed to have the same reward as “traditional” training and education. The article highlights some important aspects of quality assurance, that is targeting at the needs of the learners: While most common research is done using “objective” quality criteria Ehlers thinking is oriented towards the subject. The result of this is a methodology of quality assurance oriented towards the individual learner.
Methodology
Quality will determine the future success of eLearning. This is the result of many analyses and developments in recent times. Nevertheless opinions differ broadly what the term quality in an eLearning context really means.
One dimension of quality is based on the different terms used to describe it. There are numerous definitions from various fields: One is dealing with the quality of a product (e.g. the quality of a ring is determined by the content of gold), another dimension of quality is based on the perception of the user (e.g. preference to certain books) and a last one is connected to the production itself (e.g. a product is of high quality if its produced according to certain standards). The author identifies five different meanings for educational settings and is especially focussing on the aspect of quality as a transformation process. Ehlers concludes that the strengthening of learning competences of learners ensures quality.
Results
Ehlers defines five dimensions of quality in educational settings:
1.Quality as exception describes the outperformance of standards.
2.Quality as perfection describes an errorless state.
3.Quality can be targeted at the degree of usefulness.
4.Quality can be measured as price-performance or cost-benfit-ratio.
5.Quality as transformation describes the co-producer relation between learner and a “learning offer” and points to the further development of a learner initiated by a learning process.
The definition of quality means to combine different understandings of quality, different actors and different fields of a qualification process (e.g. quality of input, quality of process, etc.). Ehlers thinks that because of this multi-dimensional field no standard solutions can be derived but for him it is getting clearer that the learning subject plays a key role in the development of quality concepts in eLearning. He thinks that the learner has to be set into the centre of all measures ensuring quality. Therefore he sets up three guidelines:
1.For ensuring quality in eLearning a change of paradigms is necessary: The learner has to get a new value in all learning processes.
2.In all learning processes the learner has to be involved in quality assurance. Variables concerning learners and the influencing context have to be taken into account as well in order to increase the capacity of learners for decision making and responsibility. This increase has to be the primary measurement of quality according to Ehlers.
3.Quality assurance means the active strengthening of learning competences of learners. Learner need the capacity to identify their learning needs, i.e. what qualifications he/she needs during the process of lifelong learning. Ehler thinks that the learner has to act as a manger for his/her own further training and education processes.
Conclusions
Ehlers concludes the article pointing out to the need for learners who have got the possibilities to manage their learning success proactive.
In this secenario enterprises/organisations/institutions offering eLearning are “solely” facilitators.
Furthermore it is important to support and encourage competences of learners for self directed learning: Learners should be able to analyse their need for further education and training, formulate their goals and find access to fitting learning materials. Therefore they need a high level of methodological competence, as well as the skills to organise learning for themselves.
Issues
Related Documents
Ehlers cites Kirkpatricks evaluation model but he thinks that evaluation has to go beyond this five steps and has to be introduced to every stage of the learning process: including planning as well as the results of the training (e.g. by a return on investment study).
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-Last Updated: Thu-29-April-2004
