Quality Standards in Online Learning: The Case of Singapore

1
Quality Standards in Online Learning The Case of
Singapore

• Kelvin Soh
• RMIT University
• Patrick Gervais
• McGill University

2
About Singapore

• Country of four million people
• British colony until 1963
• Per-capita GDP comparable to the UK and France
• Socially diverse

3
Education in Singapore

• Re-structuring of economy towards higher end
  goods and services
• Focus on education, tourism, bio-technology,
  media, aerospace
• Re-training schemes for Singaporeans
• Setup of a fourth university and fifth polytechnic

4
E-learning in Singapore

• Worth US62million by end-2005
• Massive take up rate by the private and public
  sectors
• Subsidy schemes

5
The Paradox

• The government has not accredited any educational
  programmes despite encouraging educational
  services
• Recognition left to the hands of employers/
  education institutions
• Lack of governmentally sanctioned quality
  standards for e-learning

6
Current Quality Standards

• Quality is a construct
• Singapore Quality Class (SQC)
• Singapore IT Federation E-Learning Chapter (ELC)
• E-Learning Competency Centre (ECC)

7
Problems with current standards

• Focus on technical standards
• No clear explication of course outlines or lesson
  plans
• Standards have been left to self regulation
• Consider Foucaults Panopticon

8
Quality Standards in the UK

• Quality Assurance Agency
• Clear programme and lesson outlines
• Strict regulation controlling the standards of
  education

9
Quality Standards in Australia

• Department of Education, Science and Training
• Accreditation left at the State or Territorial
  level
• Revoking of University status if standards fall

10
Observations

• No wholesale adoption of any model
• Offshore e-learning programmes
• Education as a business
• No one-size fit all scheme for both e-learning
  and traditional learning

11
Recommendations

• Details and lesson plans of all online learning
  programmes
• Official certification of online learning
  programmes
• Provision of online programmes by the three
  national universities

12
Recommendations

• Subject all programmes and schools to regular
  checks
• Official accreditation should not be encouraged

13
Conclusion

• Officially sanctioned quality standards are
  necessary
• Regulation of the industry further necessary in
  the form of licenses

14
Contact Details

• Kelvin Soh
• sohkelvin_at_hotmail.com
• Patrick Gervais
• patrickgervais_at_hotmail.com