What are the elements that provide
quality to e-instruction?

• What are these elements?

• The role of interaction

• The role of the moderator

• How to evaluate it

• e-literacy and e-learning

• Digital divide

             I would say that they are good written communication skills (for
                            text-based communication), fast responses (within 24 hours  unless
                            otherwise specified - e.g., telling folks you will be gone a few days),
                            trained CMC activities (in which people know the advantages,
                            disadvantages, and suitability of different types of CMC tools.

                               Are these elements the same for f2f instruction?
                            No, because e-instruction is a new medium. Concern and paying attention
                            to learners is something that works in any situation.

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                            Hi all,
E-learning seems to be an important indicator of lifelong learning and globalization of information. Some organizations jump on the nbandwago, as might be expected, some are paying a little bit more attention to contentdelivery and presentation. For formal institution, the same case applies.
There are many small-scale colleges offering online courses whereas institutions like open university has been doing it for many years by now, including the Internet among their tools. The controversial issue of quality, however, still remain as an important issue for all. One answer to handle this issue is proposed to develop accreditation services and develop criteria and/or standarts so that we can assure our participants (or clients as you may wish to call so) that they will be receiving quality service (or instruction). Another approach, on the other hand, is to make use of information processing models and social constructivist models to develop content. This is more like a process-based approach rather than a product-based approach. This way of handling the quality, therefore, receives more approval or rejection by the participants. Moreover, you may have the chance of revisiting your delivery to better serve your community.

Arif

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            Is interaction a fundamental element of quality? Or, what is the role of interaction in promoting quality in e-instruction?

                        I would say interaction is a key element. Because if it isn't, then; e-learning would be the same as the old televised courses and mailed material that was done in the 60s and 70s.

                How important/what is the role of the e-moderator?

                        The role of the e-moderator is to facilitate and see opportunities for collaboration and interaction. It is a key role.

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                        How should we evaluate the quality of e-learning?

                        This answer can be a book. Off the top of my head: rubrics, learner satisfaction, and perceived use of the learning with the real life goal(s) for which it was envisioned. How's that for a sketchy answer? :-)

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             So, as a response to the question how we should we evaluate the quality of e-learning, which approach do you think is more consistent and would you have any suggestions?

PS. One of the earlier attempts to discuss quality in online communities is Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York: Cambridge University Press.

As an example for process-based approach can be found in
Grabinger, S. (1996). Rich environments for active learning. In D. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology.
New York: Macmillan, 665-692.
Arif

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                To evaluate the quality of e-learning I think we need to look closely at four elements: objectives, course design, learning strategies and assessment.
An online course needs clear, well-defined and feasible objectives, relevant, balanced and well-sequenced content, appropriate learning strategies, and a very clear and well-laid out assessment, preferably based on rubrics.

Course design and content should be student-centered, and emphasize student interactivity and collaboration

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           Dear Tere, and all Webheads,
I completely agree with your statements, Tere. The whole design of an e-course or the e-components of a f2f course need to be consistent with the elements that give quality to learning, be it f2f or e-learning, that is, interaction, collaboration, student-centeredness among others.Evaluation is a very crucial component of this design because it needs not only serve to know about students' performance, but it should also inform us about the whole development of the course, and our performance as moderators or facilitators of the process
I found an article about e-evaluation which is very clear about assessing online:

Authentic Assessment and Multimedia: How university students respond to a Model Authentic Assessment.
http://student.cit.act.edu.au/~andeja/fllweb/jan_herrington_herdsa.pdf. 

It is an excellent complement to the article we mentioned some days before:

"Meeting the Assessment Demands of Networked Courses"

You will find both in our sharing references files (I have been the only one adding links there, btw).

                Daf

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                         How does e-literacy affect the e-learning process?

                        I would first define e-literacy as knowing what medium to use for what person. For example, when should one post to a group, or send a private e-mail? What types of activities are best suited for synchronous and asnychronous communication? How important is audio/video and when? What are the social aspects behind different types of media? E-literacy is a must.

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      E-learning is closely linked to e-literacy. The more e- or computer literate  we are, the more advantage we can take of e-learning. I see the difference in the road I have travelled since Jan 2002. There is no comparison to my e-literacy then and now, and that certainly has had an effect on my e-learning, on how I look at things, think about them, try to carry them out, do or practice them, even on how I face a new challenge online.

Tere      

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                         How can online communities handle the Digital Divide?

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  The digital divide is an enormous problem that is linked to and has a parallel in many others, such as the economic divide and the sociocultural divide. Doesn't it seem unbelievable that only about 10% of the world population has access to the Internet?

At my own very limited and microcosmic level, though in a f2f situation, I have tried to lessen the digital divide for some of the less fortunate students in my school through the Computer and Internet Club (that I have run for 4-5 years). Most of the students that I pick out (after they fill in a form) have no computer at home and no access to computers outside of school. My aim has always been to give them basic skills that will help them to carry out a school project.

The same could be done with the parents in after school hours. This could eventually help get them more interested in what their children do at school and more involved in school life. In Portugal, this is a real problem. For many parents, a school is like a warehouse where you deposit kids for so many hours a day. A considerable percentage of parents never show up during the school year when called by the home room teacher.

Online communities can be part of the solution to this immense problem. They can be funded at the local level, for example (to manage their long-term existence), to deliver free training courses to community members at places where they have access to computers: schools, libraries, local community centers, cyber cafes.

Computer donation programs (when equipment is replaced in large and small corporations, banks, etc) are another way of diminishing the digital divide.

These are a few of the ideas that just came to my mind. I hope to read about others when the results of Daf and Arif's survey come out.

Tere

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Hi, all,

One of the questions for week 6 is: How can online communities handle the Digital Divide? How would they manage their long-term existence?

Maybe I don't understand the question, but it seems to me that those who don't have access to computers won't be participating in online communities.  There's a good chance they won't know that such communities exist!  People who have to access computers at libraries, cybercafes, and other public places have limited access, but there are plenty of people in the world who have no access at all.  Thus, they probably have no idea what they are missing.  Even people who have computers may not be interested in joining online communities.

I don't see how an online community of itself can do much about the digital divide.

Chris Jones

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                        How would CoPs manage their long-term existence?

                        I have to think about this one.

                        Right now it's too late, gotta sleep.

                      Chris

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