Planning for Quality
Developing quality learning materials that promote effective learning does not happen by chance. It requires careful planning, monitoring and evaluation of all course components, including the learning materials. As part of the materials development process we can set up quality assurance processes that ensure quality materials have been developed. This will include appropriate planning, internal and external critical review, ethical and copyright clearances, and editing. Feedback from users – learners and tutors alike – about the usefulness of the materials in supporting learning is essential.
Resources
- Designing and Delivering Distance Education: Quality criteria and case studies from South Africa includes the NADEOSA quality criteria for distance education in South Africa, which offer detailed guidance for developing and reviewing courses and learning materials and promoting quality. Section 5: Course Materials can be used for quick review of the quality of materials (71KB, 2 pages).
- Designing and Delivering Distance Education: Quality criteria and case studies from South Africa includes the NADEOSA quality criteria for distance education in South Africa, which offer detailed criteria to guide the design of quality assessment in a course: Section 6: Assessment (81KB, 2 pages).
- See the Saide Training Evaluation Form for learners to give feedback (85KB, 2 pages)
Quality Assurance Strategies
Three major review and evaluation methods to promote quality in the design and development of learning materials are:
- Benchmarking – selecting relevant, high quality examples of course design and materials development and using them to inform the ongoing improvement of materials development systems and processes.
- Self-evaluation – enables educators to view their learning materials with a critical eye and to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
- External evaluation – External review of learning materials is a method frequently used by institutions to determine how they measure up to nationally and/or internationally accepted standards of practice.
Once learning materials are developed it is important to pilot or prototype them in the ‘field’ so that the quality of the learning materials is tested.
Resources
- The Saide tool Reviewing Course Materials can be used for self-evaluation as part of the materials development process (55KB, 4 pages).
- The Saide tool Developmental Testing is for gathering information about the use of learning resources developed (77KB, 8 pages).
- Section 4 of the Saide resource An OER Protocol: Guidelines for publishing OER describes materials quality assurance processes, and extends them to the quality management of uploading and managing OER (725KB, 20 pages).
Design Review Questions
Quality is a thread running through each aspect and phase of course design and materials development processes. Review your quality assurance practice:
- What review strategies have you used to check the quality of the materials?
- What opportunities are there for educators and learners to provide feedback on the learning experience?
- What suggestions do you have to improve the materials development process?