Electronically offered programs both support and extend the roles of educational institutions. Increasingly they are integral to academic organization, with growing implications for institutional infrastructure (Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 2001, p. 1).
Published in Chapter:
Evaluating Online Programs
Kathleen D. Kelsey (Oklahoma State University, USA), James R. Lindner (Texas A&M University, USA), and Kim E. Dooley (Texas A&M University, USA)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 3
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch134
Abstract
Systematic evaluation of distance-education programs is necessary for program improvement (formative) and accountability (summative). When evaluating distanceeducation programs, it is advisable to consult the best practices literature for determining the criteria and standards for quality programming in order to judge the merit and worth of the program under consideration. The most frequently cited reference for best practices comes from the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (1997) (http://www.wiche.edu/ telecom/), otherwise known as WICHE. Pennsylvania State University (PSU) (1998) published a document for designing distance-education programs that incorporate the literature base of best practices. WICHE and PSU offer principles for best practices in distance education in regard to curriculum and instruction, institutional context and commitment, and evaluation and assessment. General concerns with each category should be considered in developing an instrument for measuring quality in distance-education programs (Law, Hawkes, & Murphy, 2002).