We’ve been updating our QA checklists which we developed 2 years ago based on the elearning guidelines an inclusive, broad ranging and useful set of guidelines developed in a collaborative project by several institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This musing led us to the very useful e4innovation.com blog where author Grainne Conole shares her thoughts over a new checklist she is updating for inclusion in a book. Her list is wide ranging and the ones I think educationalists forget are: “Are the pedagogical approaches explicit?”and “What pedagogical approaches are used?”. My observation is that we like to move into being online without reflecting on our own pedagogical approaches. I observe, alas, a dependence on personal charisma and presentation.
Our aim in EdTech is to encourage tutors to reflect on their online course and to ask gentle questions. They are asked to complete their own checklist – much of it focussed on the provision of course/programme information. There are five points under accessibility and usability, four under support (for example learning support) five under the community heading and four under facilitation. For the 2015 update we have included a capability heading – that asks about authenticity, lessening plagiarism and activities that are designed to develop learning communities. To support this checklist we have a site of resources -Rauemi- where we share recent blogs, research and ideas to support the online/elearning community.
I have always found the elearning guidelines useful and by using them for our in-house checklist we hope to promote good learning design, facilitation and tutor reflection. We hope, too, to have further discussions about pedagogy.
edtech. ako 