Quality Framework and Learning Theory

Criteria for Best Practices

The term 'best practices' has certainly become a 'buzzword' in education and training. Its meaning can be muddled at times, meaning different things to different people. And that is ok. If we consider that:

...best practices represent a methodology of sorts that over time consistently demonstrates reliable and above average results in comparison with other means, then it can be used as a benchmark for measuring quality outputs.

Best practices are not 'written in stone' and will continue to change as we experiment with new techniques in teaching and learning. It is in this context that we would like to share with you a set of criteria to guide best practices in the design and development of online and blended learning.

Activity

Have a look at the best practices adopted by The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) as a set of criteria to guide a quality framework for the design and development of online and blended courses.

Take some time to analyse the criteria for each of the six components:

Learner Support and Resources
Instructional Design
Online Organization and Design
Innovative Teaching with Technology
Assessment and Evaluation of Learning
Learner Feedback

Then post your thoughts in the best practices and quality framework discussion forum.