The Factors and Impacts of Large-Scale Digital Content Accreditations

E-learning is an important and widespread contemporary trend in education. Because its success depends on the quality of digital materials, the mechanism by which such materials are accredited has received considerable attention and has influenced the design and implementation of digital courseware. For this reason, this study examined the mechanism by which digital materials are accredited in Taiwan by analyzing the effects of this process on the quality of the digital materials accredited between 2009 and 2014 and by exploring its influence on the design and production of these materials. This analysis was used to identify the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning courseware so as to enhance the quality of digital materials. Data were drawn from 240 applications submitted to the Taiwan E-Learning Quality Center between 2009 and 2014, which were evaluated using quality specifications designed by the Taiwan Ministry of Education. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to explore the key factors contributing to the success or failure of attempts to achieve accreditation. The results showed that the grading methods, design of learning activities, quantity and quality of teaching materials, use of different media, motivational techniques, and opportunities for students practice were the most important contributors to accreditation. Moreover, we found significant differences between applications that passed and failed the accreditation assessment along four dimensions: “teaching content and architecture,” “design of teaching materials,” “the use of computer-aided design,” and “media and interface design.” Further quantitative analysis revealed that the design of teaching materials was the key contributor to the overall quality of teaching materials. Qualitative analysis showed that designing exercises, examples, and teaching materials according to learners’ abilities was associated with successful applications for accreditation. We also found that designs that did not engage learners and low-quality media were associated with failure to obtain accreditation.