BM 26: Staff in academic, media development and administrative roles can adequately support the development and delivery of e-learning components.
This benchmark requires institutions to demonstrate that they provide effective support to their staff in addressing the challenges of e-learning.
A good performance in this area will be achieved by institutions that have secured the commitment of a broad section of their staff, not simply those who are enthused by technological developments.
If an institution is to integrate e-learning into the mainstream of its programmes, all academic and other professional staff must be confident that they can exercise their professional skills in this area.
Competences related to development and delivery of e-learning should be included in job descriptions and considered routinely in performance review.
What does this mean?
From the experience of the project group this Benchmark is not relevant due to the missing staff.
Recommendation: It is good praxis to build “subject groups” of teachers teaching the same subject. In these groups, commonly used content can be developed by interested and well-educated teachers (in multimedia content). This content can be used as reuseable content in various courses.
Hint: The coordinating of the teachers teaching the same subject in parallel classes enable to create specific courses only once. The students enroll into the course in groups (each class can be a group).
BM 26: The institution ensures that appropriate training and support is provided for staff and that this training is enhanced in the light of technological and educational developments.
Staff must be adequately supported in learning the software and technical systems that they are required to use.
Academic and administrative staff must have access to a comprehensive suite of training opportunities that equip them with the capabilities to operate the software and hardware necessary for them to contribute effectively in an e-learning environment.
Training may be provided by:
- induction programmes on appointment
- training associated with the introduction of new systems
- updating programmes
- on-line training materials
- helpdesk services.
What does this mean?
The regularly training and the continuous education of teachersis crucial for effective and successful courses.
Hint: One of the most serious problems for teachers is the lack of digital skills (or competences) and missing further education to keep the teachers up-to-date with their digital competences.
BM 27: Educational research and innovation in e-learning are regarded as high status activities, and are promoted by career development incentives.
This benchmark is designed to assess the extent to which e-learning activity is highly regarded within the institution.
Poor performance in this area may indicate that the achievements of staff working on e-learning developments are not widely recognized. Improvement may require the introduction of new reward structures.
Academic staff must become willing and effective users of the pedagogic techniques available to them.
Institutions must foster an environment that encourages and supports the development of pedagogic skills and expertise amongst its staff. Recognition of these in its structures of reward and esteem is an important factor.
What does this mean?
Recognition of specific skills, the will of the institution to increase the level of education of the teachers, and the change of mindsets of teachers (towards a positive attitude towards effective use of available and future modern technology and tools) must be reinforced in European schools. This could lead to high performance in this benchmark.
BM 28: There are mechanisms for the dissemination of good practice based on experience and research on e-learning.
The provision of support for staff in the pedagogy of e-learning is essential if e-learning is to be implemented as an integral component of institutional activity.
Professional development seminars and symposia on pedagogic issues need to be organised (and well attended).
Internal and external publication on pedagogic issues related to e-learning must be encouraged. The institution must support the research and development of e-learning pedagogy.
Tutorial and other support staff must be encouraged to take part in pedagogic developments.
What does this mean?
This benchmark is highly connected with the attitude of the organization to further education and the will to participate in future development.
This is connected in the same way with the mindsets of the teacher (and their will to participate in further education).
BM 29: The institution ensures that issues of staff workload, and any other implications of staff participation in e-learning activities, are taken into account when managing courses or programmes.
Good performance against this benchmark will indicate that the institution has addressed the changes in working practice that e-learning demands.
Poor performance may indicate that institutional workload planning has not kept pace with technical developments and that a review process should be implemented.
The introduction of a new system changes well established patterns of working and formalises interactions between groups of staff that previously operated on an accepted custom and practice basis. New formalised procedures may be regarded as an increase in workload and may have a negative impact on attitudes towards the system.
Significant changes in operations (e.g. the introduction of devolved teaching involving tutors/mentors) may create a new tier of activity. The institution should therefore model the workload implications of new modes of operation and develop appropriate staffing plans and workload norms.
What does this mean?
The (additional) work of teachers using e-Learning or working with distance learning courses should be recognized and be appreciated in the workload of teachers.
Hint: Due to the different structure of a University and a school this benchmark is not realistic (in most European countries).
BM 30: Adequate support and resources (e.g. technical help desk and administrative support) are available to academic staff, including any affiliated tutors/mentors.
Hint: This benchmark does not meet the reality in schools.
BM 31: Students are provided with clear and up-to-date information about their courses including learning and assessment methods.
This benchmark is designed to assess the extent to which an institution offers support to students before they commit to undertaking their e-learning studies, as well as during their studies.
Good performance against this benchmark will indicate that the institution has directed its attention to informed student recruitment and effective preparation for study by e-learning.
Students must be informed through course information of the pedagogical skills they will be expected to use during their study. Preparatory materials for the acquisition of required learning skills must be available to students in advance.
The institution should monitor the needs of their students in order to inform their planning of support services for e-learners. Different student groups may display differing experience of relevant technologies and learning methods.
E-learning students are likely to use online access to investigate programme availability; a curriculum map and advisory notes should be prepared by the curriculum design team and be available to potential students from programme launch.
What does this mean?
This benchmark is a cornerstone for quality in implementing distance learning courses.
BM 32: Students are provided with guidelines stating their rights, roles and responsibilities and those of their institution. Guidelines of specific relevance to e-learning include provision of hardware, information on accessibility and expected participation in collaborative activities.
Good performance in this area indicates that the institution has fully addressed its responsibility to provide adequate information to students on e-learning programmes. The information may be derived from that provided for face-to-face students but should be presented in an integrated form. Students following e-learning programmes should have easy access all information relevant to their mode of study.
Students need to be advised on what the institution will provide to support their learning (e.g. support for any special requirements), and also what expectations are placed on students themselves (e.g. that they can access appropriate computer hardware; that they will take an active role in collaborative learning tasks etc.)
What does this mean?
The information mentioned above should be conveyed to all students with their entry into school. A yearly done update might be useful.
BM 33: Online social networking opportunities are provided in order to build and support student communities. This may be achieved using the institution’s VLE or through external social networking sites, as appropriate.
The traditions of higher education place a high value of student participation in a community of scholarship. This benchmark is intended to evaluate how these traditions of participation are translated to the e-learning environment.
Creation of online communities of students is important as it reduces the isolation that may be experienced by many online learners. Tools for online contact enable students to share learning-related concerns and problems with their peers, going someway to replicate the mutual support mechanisms available to campus based students.
Online communities may be formed by students (or staff) in external social networking environments such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Consideration needs to be given to handling any problems that may arise (such as collusion, disagreements among students, privacy issues, blurring of boundaries between social and academic life).
Institutions must identify those "community centred" activities that are essential to the achievement of course objectives and those activities that are essentially social in nature. In development of policies regarding participation in an online community the institution should make comparisons between the requirements on e-learners and those on campus based students in equivalent activity.( For example, is attendance at lectures and tutorials mandatory and monitored?)
The institution should provide guidelines on appropriate behavior in respect of informal collaboration during study, and should apply an etiquette code to online exchanges. Students should be strongly encouraged to apply these etiquette codes in any public social networking spaces which they use in relation to their studies.
What does this mean?
This benchmark is not applicable for the kind of courses presented here. It focuses on a different age and situation of students.
BM 34: Students have access to support services including technical help desk, administrative support and course choice advice.
Good performance against this benchmark indicates that the institution has designed and implemented a comprehensive suite of learner support services that address technical support, learning and broad counseling requirements.
An institution may perform well against some of the factors identified and less well against others; actions for improvement may therefore be needed on a topic by topic basis.
The staff resources on which students may draw, the roles undertaken by different staff and the levels of support available should be made clear to students at the start of their course or programme.
Where there is a transition from either face-to-face or distance learning to e-learning, the staff roles should be redefined to ensure that they adequately address the requirements for support of e-learners.
There should be mechanisms for students to give formal feedback on their experience of the course or programme, and to receive staff responses.
What does this mean?
The benchmark is (more or less) not applicable for the relevant school environment.
Recommendation: The teacher implementing the course and/or responsible for the class is in charge to support the students best. This address both technical and pedagogical issues.
Hint: The course choice advice is a minor item in school education since the strict curriculum and the syllabus do not offer so many choices as available at universities.
BM 35: Students have access to learning resources including online library access, study skills development and a study advisor.
Many aspects of student support are provided via access to resource materials and services.
The library service is one aspect of resource provision that is widely available to campus based students: extension of the service to online students is essential for effective delivery of many HE programmes. Digital (online) library facilities provide a good solution for e-learners, as well as being useful for campus based students and staff.
Support for the development of e-learning skills can be an important contributor to student success. Potential students be advised on the services will be available to help them develop the necessary skills. Responsibility for this may be managed at institutional level by a library or information services division.
Study advisors should be available to help with course choice. Modular programmes may be difficult for students to understand, particularly at the outset of their studies. The institution should therefore make every effort to help students to construct a programme that addresses their needs.
What does this mean?
The benchmark is (more or less) not applicable for the relevant school environment (due to the different conditions of the organisation and the type of learning).
Recommendation: Students in school education are in a status of personal development where they learn that all the resources and means exist and it is a good strategy to familiarize them with the use of libraries, various learning resources (for example YouTube learning channels) and other related resources.