A quality assurance methodology for technology-delivered education and training

In a climate of increased deployment of information technologies for the flexible delivery of instruction in both the higher education and private sectors, procedures for ensuring a quality outcome are becoming increasingly important. The use of a developmental process that aims to meet established acceptance criteria for a project, and one which incorporates robust evaluation methodologies to validate approach and expenses is generally a key criterion for successful grant and tender applications in this emerging field. This paper outlines a methodology for quality assurance being delivered at Access OnLine. This methodology is based on a structured framework built on sound design principles, and which incorporates project management, performance against milestones, usability and learning effectiveness adopting a ‘whole of project lifecycle’ approach to formative evaluation. Introduction Numerous factors have been leading to a rapid expansion in the adoption of technology-based educational and learning applications. These have included: the increasing sophistication of, and access to, internet, multimedia and interactive technologies; increasing pressures on educational budgets; and the need for increased flexibility in access to education due to time pressures and changing work and study patterns (Laurillard, 1993; Carrucan et. al., 1998). Ensuring the success of educational applications that incorporate new technologies is however inherently a difficult process. We can nevertheless identify certain factors that contribute to this success including assuring the quality of the process and the artifacts produced during the development process. In this paper we discuss a methodology that incorporates relevant quality assurance (QA) services that can maximise the likelihood of project success. In particular, our approach is based on a framework that provides suitable methodological structure, and a set of underpinning principles that are grounded in pedagogical and instructional design research and provide guidance in selection and customisation of specific quality assurance services. In the next section we shall consider educational applications and how technology has been used to improve accessibility and flexibility whilst achieving desired learning outcomes. We will look at the development of these applications and factors that influence the success of the development including quality assurance. We then move on to propose a quality assurance framework that allows us to address QA issues in a consistent and organised fashion. We provide a theoretical underpinning to this framework including principles that guide the creation of QA services within the framework. We then describe specific services within the context of our framework that can be used to carry out quality assurance of specific development projects. These services have formed the core of the successful QA approach carried out by Access OnLine. We finish with some observations on the limitations of the approach and the areas that require ongoing development. Paper Proposed for WebNet2000 Tuesday, 22 February 2000