1) The document outlines a quality assurance process used for developing online courses at 7 African universities as part of a project aiming to enhance educational technology and address challenges in higher education. 2) The process involved 6 steps: course design, internal review, external review preparation, external review, course revision, and review validation. Courses underwent capacity building, multiple rounds of peer and external review using a quality rubric, and revision based on feedback. 3) Successes reported by course developers and reviewers included improved course quality and validation of design approaches. Challenges included a lack of prior access to review criteria and insufficient time for addressing feedback. The outcomes were recommendations to support quality improvement and sharing of courses and

1. Embedding Quality Assurance in
Online Courses at African
Universities
Greig Krull, Brenda Mallinson and Ephraim Mhlanga
31 May 2013
Windhoek

2. Outline
Project Background
Quality Assurance Processes
Successes and Challenges
Outcomes
Reflection and Discussion

3. PHEA ETI
Project Background
Vision is “to support interventions in universities to make
increasingly effective use of educational technology to address
some of the underlying educational challenges facing the higher
educational sector in Africa”
Specific objective relevant for this presentation:
• Build academic capacity in quality online course design and
delivery through use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
for mounting over 140 online / blended courses

4. 7 participating sub-Saharan Africa HEIs
University of
Education
Winneba (Ghana)
University of Jos
(Nigeria)
University of
Ibadan (Nigeria)
Makerere
University
(Uganda)
Kenyatta University
(Kenya)
University of Dar es
Salaam (Tanzania)
Catholic
University of
Mozambique

5. Motivation
• Universities have defined policies and procedures to ensure
the quality of traditional courses…
• However, when academics start to convert existing courses for
online delivery, quality assurance is often an afterthought
• To ensure high quality output, a thorough quality
improvement process was initiated
1.
2.
Online/Blended Course Quality Improvement Process
Institutional Quality Assurance Systems and Processes

6. Quality Assurance and Capacity Building
Process for Course Development
1
Course
Design
6
2
Review
External
Evaluation
Internal
Review
3
5
Course
Revision
4
External
Review
External
Review
Preparation

7. Step 1: Course Design & Development
• Academics identified courses for online/blended design
• Participated in capacity building workshops
– Effective online course design and development
– VLE functionality (Moodle)
– Facilitated by external project support team
• Developed their courses between workshops

8. Step 2: Internal Peer Review
• Undertook peer review of course development progress
within project groups
• Revised courses taking initial peer review into account
• Where relevant, make use of subject matter experts for
content review
• Received continued support from internal institutional team

9. Step 3: External Review Preparation
Self Review of
Courses
Identify Courses
for Review
Step 2
Evaluate Review
Instrument
Distribute
Review
Instrument
Identify Courses
for Review
Develop Review
Instrument
Identify External
Reviewers
Update Review
Instrument
Create Review
Register
Evaluate Review
Instrument
Step 4

10. External Review Instrument Sample
28 criteria in 4 areas: Course Design, Activities, Assessment, Technology
C Technology: The technology used in teaching and learning is appropriate, up to date and readily accessible to students and staff. The type
of technology used is guided by the pedagogical approach of the provider .
Criterion Elements
0
1
2
3
25 Wherever possible, a range of technologies like forums, chats, wikis and blogs etc are used to
support learning and these technologies are appropriate for the pedagogical approach chosen
26 There are suitable multimedia objects (like illustrations, video clips, PowerPoint slides,
animations and simulations) to facilitate understanding of the content
27 There is seamless integration of the different multimedia elements in the course.
28 Internal and external hyperlinks are provided and they are always active
Review instrument informed by:
–
–
–
–
Quality Matters (QM) Rubric Standards https://www.qualitymatters.org/rubric
Essential Quality standards (EQS) http://www.ecampusalberta.ca
OCEP http://www.montereyinstitute.org/ocep/
OPEN ECB Check http://ecbcheck.efquel.org/
Comments

11. Step 4: External Review
Step 3
Understand
Feedback
Send Course
Access Details
Interpret
Feedback
Authenticate
and Batch
Courses
Allocate
Courses to
Reviewers
Mediate
Feedback
Conduct 136
Course Reviews
Step 5

12. Step 5: Course Revision
Step 4
Update Courses
Support
Changes
Check Progress
on Site Visits
Step 6

13. Step 6: Review Validation
Step 5
Review
Usefulness
Survey
Select Sample
for 2nd Review
Review
Usefulness
Survey
Review
Updated
Courses
Send 2nd
Review
Feedback
Short Reviewer
Reports
Consolidate
Findings
Refined Review
Instrument
Recommendations
Report

14. Successes Experienced
Course Developers
(30 responses)
Reviewers
(8 responses)
• 94% thought the categories
used in the review made
sense
• 83% thought that external
review process helped to
improve the quality of their
online courses
• Some comments that the
reviews validated their
approach taken
•
•
•
•
•
•
Basic elements are present – a
good start for 1st time developers
Design with the affordances of the
medium in mind
Online teaching approach
emphasised
Good use of visual aids
Online activities provided for
Course front matter clearly
indicated

15. Challenges Experienced
Course Developers
(30 responses)
Reviewers
(8 responses)
• 39% did NOT see the review
criteria PRIOR to submitting
their courses for external
review
• 33% did not have the criteria
sufficiently explained by the
internal support team
• Some reports of the review
feedback not being passed on
to the developers
• Insufficient time to address
the feedback
•
•
•
•
•
•
Some plagiarism & broken links
Lack of uniformity
Learners need help with finding
their way
Insufficient student engagement
provided for (including lack of
evaluation)
Insufficient reflective pauses &
time indicators
Finish as strongly as you began

16. Outcomes
Institutional
• Share set of recommendations for formative and summative
quality improvement
• Support enhancement of institutional quality assurance
systems where we were able to engage with the QA Unit
Project
• Proportion of courses or parts thereof to be made available as
Open Educational Resources (OER) to be shared with other
institutions
• Evaluation instrument used in the review available from Saide
website as OER for any course developers to use or adapt

17. Reflection
• How do you ensure quality in your own courses and
materials?
• How can you develop or enhance quality assurance
processes at your institution?

18. Thank You
Greig Krull and Brenda Mallinson
greigk@saide.org.za / brendam@saide.org.za
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.