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Programme Development
Using reflective questions to guide programme development
A programme developer uses reflective questions as a tool to assist him/her in programme design and development. Examples of reflective questions such as “Is there a statement of programme aims?”, “Will students possess the necessary background knowledge, attitudes and skills?” prompt the programme developer to consider the programme aims and entry requirements.
More examples of reflective questions
Purpose
The purpose of the practice is to improve programme design and development which includes setting programme aims, organising content, designing teaching and learning methods, formulating assessment rubrics and conducting evaluation survey. Reflective questions specific to each aspect are used to ensure that due considerations have been given, such as alignment with the institutional values and social needs, and employability of graduates, before the programme developer proceeds from one stage of the programme development to another.
OutcomeThe outcome of employing this practice is a more rigorous and systematic approach to programme design and development.
28 Feb 2017
Programme Development
Good practice classified under: Institutional Governance and Management Programme Development
Good practice classified under: Institutional Governance and Management Programme Development
Centralised control of quality standards of open learning Formulation of a rigorous quality assurance (QA) system of uniform standards and the exercise of centralised control over programme delivery and assessment to safeguard the quality of provision maintains and enhances quality standards and recognition of qualifications.
Purpose
The purpose of the practice is to ensure the quality of graduates through adopting uniform standards. An institution, especially if engaged in open and distance education, may employ a centralised strategy to maintain its quality standards. For teaching and learning, programme delivery is standardised, including the form, frequency and length of face-to-face sessions as well as the number and methods of assessments. For programme development and review, all departments use the same set of guidelines and go through the same procedures for programme and course validations.
Outcome
The outcome of employing this practice is the maintenance of consistent quality standards across different academic units of an institution.
28 Feb 2017
Online and Blended Education
Highly accessible and user-centred platform forms an online learning community
The design of the platform for online and blended programmes should be user-centred with interactive features to enhance student engagement.
Purpose
The purpose of this practice is to reduce the isolation that may be felt by students of online and blended programmes. Opportunities for interaction between staff and students and among students themselves are numbered due to limited face-to-face classroom activities. Online learning platforms built with “interactivities”, for example, posting staff videos containing words of encouragement with a personal touch, helps form an online learning community. A user-centred and highly accessible website supports students working from a distance, provides them with a seamless user experience, ignites their interest in online learning and keeps them motivated. The high accessibility of the website is important to support self-directed learning which is a crucial feature for online learning.
OutcomeThe outcome of employing this practice is keeping online learning students interested and engaged in their studies. This contributes to increased commitment of students to their studies and helps reduce the attrition rate of online programmes.
19 Jul 2017
Programme Development
Learning analytics drives improvement on online delivery
Institutions devise learning analytics to collect and analyse data from their online platform on student learning behavior for programme improvement and student support.
Purpose
The purpose of this practice is to develop learning analytics for improvement of the online learning platform. As student learning activities are mainly conducted through an online platform, information on student's learning can be derived from the data on their usage of the platform. An institution collects data and devises measures to monitor and analyse various aspects of student learning such as learning patterns, progress, and level of achievement. The institution follows up on these analytics to take appropriate actions such as extra support and attention to individuals or groups of students and adjustment on specific aspect of the curriculum.
Outcome
The outcome of employing this practice is continuous improvement in the delivery of programmes based on an understanding from the analysis of the data on how the students learn through the online platform.
18 May 2017
Online and Blended Education
Round-the-clock support to students of online and blended programmes
Institutions formulate a proper plan to support students of online and blended learning programmes who live in different time zones.
PurposeThe purpose of this practice is to ensure students have access to timely academic support and personal guidance regardless of the geographical locations and time zones. Institutions offering online and blended programmes need a plan to provide round-the-clock support to the students. Taking into account the size and geographic distribution of the student population, it can be useful to recruit tutors, including local tutors, to conduct synchronous and interactive teaching activities on the online platform. Tutors contact and interact with students to provide consultation and personal guidance that helps to keep students engaged in their studies.
Outcome
The outcome of employing this practice is ensuring comparable level of support to the same cohort of students enrolled from different geographical locations.
26 May 2017
Online and Blended Education / Student Engagement / Programme Development
Learning analytics drives improvement on online delivery
Institutions devise learning analytics to collect and analyse data from their online platform on student learning behavior for programme improvement and student support.
Purpose
The purpose of this practice is to develop learning analytics for improvement of the online learning platform. As student learning activities are mainly conducted through an online platform, information on student's learning can be derived from the data on their usage of the platform. An institution collects data and devises measures to monitor and analyse various aspects of student learning such as learning patterns, progress, and level of achievement. The institution follows up on these analytics to take appropriate actions such as extra support and attention to individuals or groups of students and adjustment on specific aspect of the curriculum.
Outcome
The outcome of employing this practice is continuous improvement in the delivery of programmes based on an understanding from the analysis of the data on how the students learn through the online platform.
18 May 2017