{"id":34,"date":"2021-08-18T16:28:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T20:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/hqoc\/chapter\/introduction-what-is-quality-in-online-learning\/"},"modified":"2023-07-07T23:04:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T03:04:54","slug":"introduction-what-is-quality-in-online-learning","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/chapter\/introduction-what-is-quality-in-online-learning\/","title":{"raw":"1.3 Introduction \u2013 What is quality in online learning?","rendered":"1.3 Introduction \u2013 What is quality in online learning?"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Perspectives on quality<\/h2>\nHow do we define quality in online learning? A good starting point is to think about how learners experience their learning online. What things do they appreciate about online learning? What things challenge or trip them up? The <em>Student Voices<\/em> video presents a chorus of student voices offering perspectives on what matters to them in online learning environments and why.\n<h3>Student voices<\/h3>\nResearchers at the University of Waterloo surveyed over 800 undergraduate students about what they liked, didn\u2019t like, hoped for, and expected from their online courses, and conducted over 100 hours of interviews and user-testing with some of these students. The following video presents a sampling of what they shared (Troop et al., 2020).\n\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/xNUdVEWm-ls[\/embed]\n<p class=\"copyright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/07\/HQOC-M1-Student-voices-video-transcript.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transcript<\/a> (PDF) | Video length ~ 2 mins.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"div-columns\">\n<div class=\"div-left\"><strong>Summary of key points:<\/strong>\nOnline learners LIKE\n<ul>\n \t<li>flexibility (but can be challenged by self-regulation);<\/li>\n \t<li>a mix of media (text, images, video, interactions);<\/li>\n \t<li>well-structured, easy-to-find content and assignments;<\/li>\n \t<li>content presented in short(er) segments; and<\/li>\n \t<li>connections with instructors and peers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"div-right\">\n<figure>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_32\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"301\"]<img class=\"wp-image-32 size-full\" title=\"Person figure in the centre surrounded by 3 icons: 1) a computer screen with icons representing text, images, and video; 2) an icon representing assignments; and 3) an icon representing 3 people communicating with each other.\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/08\/learner-centred-approach.png\" alt=\"Diagram showing the learner at the centre of a learner-centered approach, with decorative icons around them including a computer screen, paper and pencil, and a network of people.\" width=\"301\" height=\"262\"> <br><span class=\"copyright\">Caption: Learner-centred course design takes learners into account in the creation of content, interactions, and assessments.<br>Credit: University of Waterloo<\/span>[\/caption]<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs mentioned above, our starting point for defining quality in online learning is grounded in the <strong>experiences and learning needs of our learners<\/strong>. We call this a <strong>learner-centred<\/strong> approach to course design rather than a content-centred approach.\n\nLet\u2019s explore this concept in more detail.\n<h2>What is learner-centred design?<\/h2>\nLearner-centred design places learners and their ability to learn at the centre of the course design process.\u00a0In learner-centred design, the focus is on designing a course in a way that <strong>effectively supports and facilitates learning<\/strong>. As such, it is firmly grounded in evidence-based principles from the cognitive and learning sciences that have been shown to facilitate learning and help learners be successful in achieving the\u00a0learning outcomes\u00a0set out for them.\n<div class=\"learner-box-outer\">\n<div class=\"learner-content-left\">And there is plenty of evidence to draw from\u2014teaching and learning in all its forms (including online teaching and learning) has been the subject of much academic study. For those of us who have the time and inclination to peruse some of this research, we\u2019ve referenced some of the most seminal and often-cited literature in Module 1 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/hqoc\/chapter\/resources-for-further-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Resources for Further Study<\/a> <\/strong>section, including several evidence-based approaches to course design. For our purposes in this course, we will use Robert Gagn\u00e9\u2019s <strong>Nine Events of Instruction<\/strong>\u00a0as a framework that provides a learner-centred foundation to guide our course-design work.<\/div>\n<div class=\"learner-references-right\"><strong>Who is Robert Gagn\u00e9?<\/strong>\nRobert Mills Gagn\u00e9 was a professor of psychology and educational psychology who conceptualized the Nine Events of Instruction framework. To learn more about Gagn\u00e9, read his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.encyclopedia.com\/history\/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps\/robert-mills-gagne\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">biography<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\nWhile course design frameworks such as the <em>Nine Events<\/em> are a useful way to efficiently and effectively design your high-quality online course, no framework is complete on its own. An important aspect of learner-centred design that we will highlight throughout this course is <a href=\"https:\/\/udlguidelines.cast.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Universal Design for Learning<\/strong> (UDL).<\/a> UDL provides a set of research-based principles to ensure that we appropriately address the learner diversity in our courses and minimize barriers to learning, ensuring that \"all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities\" (CAST, 2018). The Module 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/hqoc\/chapter\/resources-for-further-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Resources for Further Study<\/strong><\/a> section provides more information about UDL, and later in the module, we'll be looking at some UDL-inspired examples of how to adapt course design to the needs of our learners.\n<div class=\"note-box\"><strong>Key take-away:<\/strong>\nWhen considering quality in online courses, think about your learners and their experiences when learning online. Focusing on the quality of the learning experience you are creating for them is an evidence-based way to help them be successful.<\/div>\n<div class=\"note-box\">\n\n<strong>Key questions:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Why have your learners chosen to learn online?<\/li>\n \t<li>What will they need in order to succeed in your course?<\/li>\n \t<li>What challenges might they need to overcome with online learning?<\/li>\n \t<li>What can you do to facilitate their learning?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nThe rest of this module will provide guidance in answering these questions.","rendered":"<h2>Perspectives on quality<\/h2>\n<p>How do we define quality in online learning? A good starting point is to think about how learners experience their learning online. What things do they appreciate about online learning? What things challenge or trip them up? The <em>Student Voices<\/em> video presents a chorus of student voices offering perspectives on what matters to them in online learning environments and why.<\/p>\n<h3>Student voices<\/h3>\n<p>Researchers at the University of Waterloo surveyed over 800 undergraduate students about what they liked, didn\u2019t like, hoped for, and expected from their online courses, and conducted over 100 hours of interviews and user-testing with some of these students. The following video presents a sampling of what they shared (Troop et al., 2020).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"High Quality Online Courses: Student Voices\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xNUdVEWm-ls?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"copyright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/07\/HQOC-M1-Student-voices-video-transcript.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transcript<\/a> (PDF) | Video length ~ 2 mins.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-columns\">\n<div class=\"div-left\"><strong>Summary of key points:<\/strong><br \/>\nOnline learners LIKE<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>flexibility (but can be challenged by self-regulation);<\/li>\n<li>a mix of media (text, images, video, interactions);<\/li>\n<li>well-structured, easy-to-find content and assignments;<\/li>\n<li>content presented in short(er) segments; and<\/li>\n<li>connections with instructors and peers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"div-right\">\n<figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32\" style=\"width: 301px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32 size-full\" title=\"Person figure in the centre surrounded by 3 icons: 1) a computer screen with icons representing text, images, and video; 2) an icon representing assignments; and 3) an icon representing 3 people communicating with each other.\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/08\/learner-centred-approach.png\" alt=\"Diagram showing the learner at the centre of a learner-centered approach, with decorative icons around them including a computer screen, paper and pencil, and a network of people.\" width=\"301\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/08\/learner-centred-approach.png 301w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/08\/learner-centred-approach-65x57.png 65w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/08\/learner-centred-approach-225x196.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"copyright\">Caption: Learner-centred course design takes learners into account in the creation of content, interactions, and assessments.<br \/>Credit: University of Waterloo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As mentioned above, our starting point for defining quality in online learning is grounded in the <strong>experiences and learning needs of our learners<\/strong>. We call this a <strong>learner-centred<\/strong> approach to course design rather than a content-centred approach.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s explore this concept in more detail.<\/p>\n<h2>What is learner-centred design?<\/h2>\n<p>Learner-centred design places learners and their ability to learn at the centre of the course design process.\u00a0In learner-centred design, the focus is on designing a course in a way that <strong>effectively supports and facilitates learning<\/strong>. As such, it is firmly grounded in evidence-based principles from the cognitive and learning sciences that have been shown to facilitate learning and help learners be successful in achieving the\u00a0learning outcomes\u00a0set out for them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"learner-box-outer\">\n<div class=\"learner-content-left\">And there is plenty of evidence to draw from\u2014teaching and learning in all its forms (including online teaching and learning) has been the subject of much academic study. For those of us who have the time and inclination to peruse some of this research, we\u2019ve referenced some of the most seminal and often-cited literature in Module 1 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/hqoc\/chapter\/resources-for-further-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Resources for Further Study<\/a> <\/strong>section, including several evidence-based approaches to course design. For our purposes in this course, we will use Robert Gagn\u00e9\u2019s <strong>Nine Events of Instruction<\/strong>\u00a0as a framework that provides a learner-centred foundation to guide our course-design work.<\/div>\n<div class=\"learner-references-right\"><strong>Who is Robert Gagn\u00e9?<\/strong><br \/>\nRobert Mills Gagn\u00e9 was a professor of psychology and educational psychology who conceptualized the Nine Events of Instruction framework. To learn more about Gagn\u00e9, read his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.encyclopedia.com\/history\/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps\/robert-mills-gagne\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">biography<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>While course design frameworks such as the <em>Nine Events<\/em> are a useful way to efficiently and effectively design your high-quality online course, no framework is complete on its own. An important aspect of learner-centred design that we will highlight throughout this course is <a href=\"https:\/\/udlguidelines.cast.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Universal Design for Learning<\/strong> (UDL).<\/a> UDL provides a set of research-based principles to ensure that we appropriately address the learner diversity in our courses and minimize barriers to learning, ensuring that &#8220;all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities&#8221; (CAST, 2018). The Module 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/hqoc\/chapter\/resources-for-further-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Resources for Further Study<\/strong><\/a> section provides more information about UDL, and later in the module, we&#8217;ll be looking at some UDL-inspired examples of how to adapt course design to the needs of our learners.<\/p>\n<div class=\"note-box\"><strong>Key take-away:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen considering quality in online courses, think about your learners and their experiences when learning online. Focusing on the quality of the learning experience you are creating for them is an evidence-based way to help them be successful.<\/div>\n<div class=\"note-box\">\n<p><strong>Key questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why have your learners chosen to learn online?<\/li>\n<li>What will they need in order to succeed in your course?<\/li>\n<li>What challenges might they need to overcome with online learning?<\/li>\n<li>What can you do to facilitate their learning?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The rest of this module will provide guidance in answering these questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-34","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":24,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/34","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/34\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/34\/revisions\/35"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/24"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/34\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=34"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=34"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/qualitycourses\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=34"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}