E-xcellence benchmarks compared

8/22/2019 E-xcellence benchmarks compared

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Paul Bacsich, BELA 1 file E-xcellence-analysed-rel1

E-xcellence benchmarks compared

The E-xcellence system of benchmarking e-learning was released to public gaze at the

EADTU conference in Tallinn, Estonia on 23 November 2006. This is a brief analysis of the

33 E-xcellence threshold benchmarks in terms of relevance to UK HE. OLF members are

likely soon to have a briefing on the E-xcellence project from EADTU.

This paper was developed primarily for assistance to MIT90s institutions looking ab initio

for carefully written criterion statements and to Pick&Mix institutions looking for carefully

written potential supplementary criteria covering topics not already dealt with in the current

version of Pick&Mix 2.0. However, the paper may also be assistance to ELTI institutions,

specifically those who are members of the Open Learning Foundation (OLF). It is out of

scope for this work but not particularly difficult to extend the analysis to ELTI or indeed

ACODE.

1 What is E-xcellence?

Quoting from the BenchmarkWiki entry:1

E-xcellence (pronounced E-excellence) is an EU-funded project run byEADTU

(the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) with the assistance of

12 other partners. It has a project web site athttp://www.eadtu.nl/E-xcellence/.

E-xcellence started in January 2005 and concludes in November 2006, with a major

launch at the EADTU conference2 in Tallinn, Estonia, 23-24 November 2006.

Originally E-xcellence was not envisaged as a benchmarking methodology but as a

quality monitoring tool, but at about a year into the project there was a shift in

emphasis and benchmarking is now one of the aims envisaged for E-xcellence. In factthere are three orientations of the methodology:

Assessment tool (at both institutional and programme level) (i.e.

benchmarking)

Quality improvement tool (internal quality care system)

Accreditation tool for accreditation

Expected outcomes include:

Inventory of benchmarks forgood e-learning (i.e. these include relatedcriteria and indicators setting standards of excellence and indicators for

validation) (a web-based guide)

On-line self-assessment toolQuickScan3 based on the identified benchmarks

Manual on good practices directly related to the benchmarks

1 This ishttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Pageof 25 November 2006. By the nature of

wikis, the text is subject to change.

2

Seehttp://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2006/.3

Seehttp://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/.
http://www.eadtu.nl/http://www.eadtu.nl/http://www.eadtu.nl/http://www.eadtu.nl/E-xcellence/http://www.eadtu.nl/E-xcellence/http://www.eadtu.nl/E-xcellence/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2006/http://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2006/http://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2006/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2006/http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/E-xcellence/http://www.eadtu.nl/


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E-xcellence criteria analysed

Paul Bacsich, BELA 2 27 November 2006

Quality assurance system (internal validation based on the standard of

excellence)

Reports on pilots which will test the validation approach

Establishment and training of a visitation team both for quality assurance and

for accreditation (to be seen as distinct procedures)

The basis of the E-xcellence benchmarking methodology is as follows:

1. some 50 excellence benchmarks are formulated and divided over 6 categoriesof strategic management, curriculum design, course design, course delivery,

staff support and student support.

2. Exactly 33 of the 50 benchmarks are categorised as threshold. Threshold for e-learning is defined by the E-xcellence team as crucial for interactiveness,

accessibility and flexibility of the e-learning programme. These are found in

theQuickScan.

3. Each criterion is a bundle of indicators.

4. Criteria are graded currently at four levels but numeric scores are not used anda total score is not computed.

5. The threshold level can be determined by theQuickScanonline self-audit,but the excellence level requires in addition a visit from an expert team.

One of the key partners in the EADTU consortium is the Open Learning Foundation (OLF).

Members of OLF active in Benchmarking Phase 1 are: Brunel (OBHE), De Montfort

(OBHE), Derby (Pick&Mix), East London (ELTI), Glamorgan (MIT90s), Lincoln (OBHE),Teesside (Pick&Mix) and Thames Valley (MIT90s).

2 The E-xcellence criteria

What follows (on the next and succeeding pages) is a table of the E-xcellence criteria:

Number

Statement from E-xcellence (this is a best practice statement)

MIT90s category: Strategy, Structure, Management Processes, Individuals (split intoStaff and Students), Technology, and External Environment

Nearest Pick&Mix criterion (the reference used for this isPick&Mix release 2.0 beta1 release notes athttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/weblogs/benchmarking/?p=139)

Commentary with particular relevance to Pick&Mix in particular but the UK HEquality regime in general

Recommendation (oriented mainly to MIT90s institutions) as to whether the criterionshould be Recommended (for consideration), Optional or Discouraged (marked R, O,

D respectively)

Recommendation (oriented mainly to Pick&Mix institutions) as to whether thecriterion should be a new Supplementary criterion (marked NS) in Pick&Mix 2.0.
http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/weblogs/benchmarking/?p=139http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/weblogs/benchmarking/?p=139http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/weblogs/benchmarking/?p=139http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/weblogs/benchmarking/?p=139http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/http://www.eadtu.nl/e-xcellenceQS/


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2.1 Conclusions from the tabulation process

The main ones are as follows (and all noted in the table):

1. Many of the E-xcellence criteria should be split into several (usually just two)subcriteria in order to facilitate effective judgements (especially for scoring).

2. A number of the E-xcellence criteria as applied in UK HE are superfluous in the sensethat the QAA precepts already cover these aspects or they are far too detailed, thus

belonging to quality tick-boxes not to benchmarking criteria.

3. A small number of the E-xcellence criteria appear wishful thinking rather thanoperationally relevant criteriathese are Discouraged.

The criteria indicated to be split are: 4 (2), 6 (2), 7 (2), 8 (2), 9 (2), 10 (2), 13 (into 3), 14 (2),

15 (2), 18 (into 3), 19 (2), 20 (2), 22 (2), 23 (2), 24 (2), 25 (into 3), 26 (into 5!), and 27 (2).

This would make a total of 57 atomic criteria in all. This is rather high; however, a

considerable number (18) of these are Discouraged (due to being covered by QAA or too

detailed) and this would bring the number of Recommended/Optional atomic criteria downagain to a not unreasonable 39.

2.2 MIT90s methodological conclusions

1. It seemed to be hard to assign many of the criteria to specific MIT90s categories. Thisshould be of serious methodological concern.

2. The lack of a Learning category paralleling Technology may be seen as a weakness.Could the Culture metacategory (surrounding Structure, Management Processes and

Individuals) take on this role?

3. In some cases it seemed better to assign a criterion to two categories (think of the

categories as intersecting). This idea should be followed upit may paradoxicallymake it easier to assign MIT90s categories (see also the Culture idea above).

2.3 References

ACODE http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ACODE

CHIRON http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/CHIRON

ELTI http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ELTI

E-xcellence http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/E-xcellence

MIT90s http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/MIT90s

Pick&Mix http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Pick&Mix
http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ACODEhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ACODEhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/CHIRONhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/CHIRONhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ELTIhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ELTIhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/E-xcellencehttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/E-xcellencehttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/MIT90shttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/MIT90shttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Pick&Mixhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Pick&Mixhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Pick&Mixhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/MIT90shttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/E-xcellencehttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ELTIhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/CHIRONhttp://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/ACODE


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3. The table

No. E-xcellence criterion MIT90s

category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

Strategic Management

1 The institution should have e-

learning policies and a strategy

for development of e-learning

that are widely understood and

integrated into the overall

strategies for institutional

development and quality

improvement. Policies should

include both infrastructure and

staff development.

Strategy 06 (Strategy) Close match to

Pick&Mix (PnM) 06

R

2 The resourcing of developmentsin e-learning curricula should

take into account any special

requirements over and above

the normal requirements for

(non-e) curricula. These will

include items such as equipment

purchase, software

implementation, recruitment of

staff, training and research

needs, and technology

developments.

Managementprocesses

12 (Costs) and19 (Decisions)

(not too close:

see

commentary)

This is phrased in away perhaps more

appropriate to those

universities without a

modern approach to

costing and

resourcing

R

3 The institution should have a

management information

system which is reliable, secure

and effective for the operation

of the e-learning systems

adopted.

Technology Nonehints of

62 (Integration)

Those who wish this

should add as New

Supplementary

O NS

4 .1) When e-learning involves

collaborative provision the roles

and responsibilities of each

partner should be clearly

defined through operational

agreements

.2) and these responsibilitiesshould be communicated to all

participants.

External

Environment

(external to

HEI)

None Recommended as

New Supplementary

(perhaps two)

R

O

NS

NS

Curriculum Design

5 E-learning curricula should

conform to qualification

frameworks, codes of practice,

subject benchmarks and other

institutional or national quality

requirements in the same way as

non-e curricula.

Management

processes

or

External

Environment

None (see

commentary)

In theory this should

not be needed in the

UK in view of QAA

precepts.

D


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

6 .1) Curricula should be

designed in such a way as toallow maximum flexibility for

the learner with respect to time,

place and pace of learning,

consistent with the satisfactory

achievement of learning

outcomes and integration with

other (non-e) learning activities.

.2) Use of formative and

summative assessment needs to

be appropriate to the curriculum

design.

Management

processes(does not

seem a good

match)

Linked to 08

and vagueaspects of 04

This is perhaps two

criteria.The first has some

aspirational features

(i.e. is not suited to

benchmarking)

For the second,

Assessment should be

added as a New

Supplementary

D

R

7 .1) Curriculum design shouldensure that appropriate

provision is made for the

acquisition of general

educational objectives and the

integration of knowledge and

skills across the programme of

study.

.2) When blended learning is

used, the contribution of e-

learning components to the

development of educational

objectives needs to be made

clear

Managementprocesses

(does not

seem a good

match)

Linked to 08 In theory the firstshould not be needed

in the UK in view of

QAA precepts.

The second is an

interesting one to

consider as a New

Supplementary, even

if in theory one

should apply this

criterion to allcomponents.

D

O

8 .1) Curricula should be

designed in such as way as to

require broad participation in an

on-line academic community.

.2) As well as student-student

and student-tutor interactions

this should include, where

appropriate, interaction with

external professionals and/or

involvement in research and

professional activities.

Management

processes

(does not

seem a good

match)

Linked to 08 In theory the first

should not be needed


QAA precepts.

The second is

common sense but

could be

overzealously

interpreted and

become a flight of

fancy.

D

D


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

Course Design

9 .1) Each course should include aclear statement of learning

outcomes in respect of both

knowledge and skills. Outcomes

should be of such a nature as to

be attainable through e-learning,

augmented as and when

necessary by face-to- face

provision.

.2) In a blended-learning

context there should be an

explicit rationale for the use of

each component in the blend.

Managementprocesses

(does not

seem a good

match)

Linked to 08 In theory the firstshould not be needed


QAA precepts.

The second seems to

be a repetition of 7

above. It is an

interesting one to

consider as a New

Supplementary, even

if in theory one

should apply this

criterion to allcomponents.

D

O NS

10 .1) Learning outcomes, not the

availability of technology,

should determine the means

used to deliver course content

.2) and there needs to be

reasoned coherence between

learning outcomes, the strategy

for use of e-learning, the scope

of the learning materials and the

assessment methods used.

Strategy/

Management

processes

alignment

Linked to 08 The first is an

aspirational statement

straight from Quality

on the Line, and the

usual caveats apply.

The second appears to

repeat (sub)criteria

repeated earlier.

D

D

11 Learning outcomes should becomparable with those of

courses delivered by other

means.

Individualsstudents

None (yet) butsee 51 (Service

Uniformity).

This is a hard one toassess but it should

not be ducked. It is an

interesting one to

consider as a New

Supplementary.

O NS


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

12 Courses should be designed in

such a way as to : foster active learning

facilitate individual study

and the development of

study skills

support the development

and interaction of learning

communities

place the learner in control

of time, place and pace of

learning wherever possible

recognise the diversity oflearners and build on their

strengths and backgrounds

make appropriate provisionfor persons with disabilities

be sensitive in their use of

materials to the cultural

diversity present amongst

learners

require learners to reflecton, evaluate and provide

feedback on course

contents and requirements

Management

processes(does not

seem a good

match)

08 at a general

level

The principles of

good pedagogy areaccepted, but the

bullet points seem too

specific to be

benchmark criteria

they are more of

quality guidelines

D

13 .1) Interactions between

students and with tutors (both

synchronous and asynchronous)

should be facilitated by a

variety of means including e-

mail, telephone, group forums

etc to allow both individual and

group interactions.

.2) Access to tutors should be

designed to be on a regular and

sufficient basis known to both

tutors and learners.

.3) At the minimum level of

engagement tutors should

provide learners with timely

expert advice on course issues

or materials and individual

feedback on assignments.

Management

processes

(does not

seem a good

match)

Align with

Individuals

students ?

The first is

covered in 08 at

a general level.

The second and

third are

covered in 91(Student

Expectations)

These again shade

into quality

guidelines.

D

D

D


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

14 .1) Course design, development

and evaluation should involveindividuals or teams with

expertise in both academic and

technical aspects.

.2) Integral to the course design

process should be mechanisms

for trialling materials and

incorporating feedback into the

final product.

Management

processes(does not

seem a good

match)

The first is a

micro versionof 15

(Organisation)

with some

aspects of 10

(Training)

The second

relates to 14

(Evaluation)

These again shade

into qualityguidelines.

D

15 .1) Learning materials should be

designed with a sufficient level

of interactivity to enable active

student engagement and toenable them to test their

knowledge, understanding and

skills at regular intervals.

.2) Where self-study materials

are meant to be free-standing,

they should be designed in such

a way as to allow learners on-

going feedback on their

progress through self-

assessment tests.

Management

processes

(does not

seem a goodmatch)

Covered in 08

at a general

level

These again shade

into quality

guidelines.

D

D

16 Course materials should

conform to explicit guidelinesconcerning layout and

presentation and be as

consistent as possible across a

programme.

Management

processes(does not

seem a good

match)

09 (Learning

Material)

Specific guidelines

(e.g. as in CHIRON)would be the province

of quality guidelines.

R

17 Course materials including the

intended learning outcomes,

should be regularly reviewed,

up-dated and improved using

feedback from stakeholders as

appropriate.

Management

processes

(does not

seem a good

match)

Align with:

Individuals

students ?

14 (Evaluation) Good wording. O


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

18 .1) Courses should provide both

formative and summativeassessment components.

Summative assessment needs to

be explicit, fair, valid and

reliable ().

.2) Appropriate measures need

to be in place to prevent (...)

plagiarism, especially where

assessments are conducted on-

line.

.3) [split out from last

paragraph] Appropriate

measures need to be in place toprevent impersonation,

especially where assessments

are conducted on-line.

Management

processes(does not

seem a good

match)

Align with:

Individuals

students ?

The first is

subsumed in 08(Pedagogy).

The second is

65 (Plagiarism)

plus a criterion

on

impersonation

Some institutions may

wish a NewSupplementary on

non-plagiarism types

of cheating to cover

impersonation etc.

D

R

R NS

Course Delivery

19 .1) The technical infrastructure

maintaining the e-learning

system should be fit for purpose

and support both academic and

administrative functions.

.2) Technical specification

should be based on a survey of

stakeholder requirements andinvolve realistic estimates of

system usage and development.

Technology The first has

aspects of 04

(Usability).

The second is

largely

subsumed in 07

(Decision-making

projects)

O

R

20 .1) The reliability (...) of the

delivery system should have

been rigorously tested

beforehand and appropriate

measures should be in place for

system recovery in the event of

failure or breakdown.


paragraph] The security of the

delivery system should havebeen rigorously tested

beforehand

Technology 53 (Reliability)

Security not

covered (yet)

For those institutions

taking a broad view of

IT, there may be even

more new IT-related

Supplementary

Criteria to be added.See ACODE for

guidance.

O

O NS

21 Appropriate provision needs to

be made for system

maintenance, monitoring and

review of performance against

the standards set and against

improvements as these become

available.

Technology 54

(Performance)

but this is a

more output

measure

For those institutions

taking a broad view of

IT, there may be a

new IT-related

Supplementary

Criterion to be added

on evaluation of IT,

sometimes called

PnM 14ter.

O NS


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

22 .1) The Virtual Learning

Environment should beappropriate for the pedagogical

model adopted and for the

requirements of all users.

.2) It should be integrated with

the institutions management

information system as far as

possible

Technology For the first see

06, 07 and 13but also 04.

For the second

see 62.

In Pick&Mix the first

would be aconsequence of other

criteria especially

PnM 06, 07 and 13

but see also 04.

O

O

23 .1) The VLE should provide

information and services to all

users in a logical, consistent and

reliable way.

.2) All users should beconfident that the VLEs

systems for communication and

provision of information are

secure, reliable and, where

appropriate, private.

Technology 04 (Usability)

For the second,some aspects

have been

covered earlier.

Close match

The second is a kindofstaff satisfaction

on IT to parallel

student satisfaction

this could be added as

a New

Supplementary.

R

O NS

24 .1) Materials and information

accessible through the VLE

should be regularly monitored,

reviewed and updated.

.2) The responsibility for this

should be clearly defined andthose responsible provided with

appropriate and secure access to

the system to enable revision

and updating to occur.

Technology For the first 14

(Evaluation).

The second is

related to 15

(Organisation)

but with aspectsof Security

also.

R

O NS

Staff support

25 .1) All staff with academic,

media development and

administrative roles need to be

able to support the development

and delivery of e-learning

programmes without themselves

being technical experts..2) The institution should ensure

that appropriate training is

provided for these staff and that

this is training is enhanced in

the light of system

developments.


paragraph] The institution

should ensure that appropriate

support is provided for these

staff.

Individuals

staff

The first may

be challenged

in some

institutions.

The second is

10 (Training)

The third is 16

(Technical

Support)

The first seems

aspirational and a tad

old-fashioned. (What

exactly is a technical

expertthese days?)

O

R

R


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

26 .1) Pedagogic research and

development should beregarded as high status activities

within institutions with a

commitment to high quality e-

learning.

.2) There should be mechanisms

within these institutions for the

dissemination of good practice

in support of e-learning

.3) (including good practice

developed elsewhere and/or

through consortia),

.4) and for the training ormentoring of new staff in such

practice.

.5) Career development

incentives need to reflect an e-

learning culture.

Individuals

staff

none

Related to 08

(Pedagogy)

unclear

Special case of

10 (Training)

18

(Recognition)

This seems hard to

operationalise

This would be a good

companion to PnM 08

(leading indicator

thereof)

Good idea for New

Supplementary

Compulsory in UK

but might be checkedre e-learning

Vital

D

R

O

O

R

NS

NS

27 .1) The institution should ensure

that issues of staff workload

are taken proper account of in

the management of courses or

programmes.


paragraph] The institutionshould ensure that [and] any

other implications of staffs

participation in e-learning

programmes (such as

intellectual property rights over

programme materials) are taken

proper account of in the

management of courses or

programmes.

Individuals

staff

11 (Workload)

57 (IPR)

R

O

28 Institutions should ensure that

adequate administrative support

(including effectivemanagement information

systems) is available to

academic staff, particularly

part-time tutors/mentors.

Individuals

staff

None Could be a New

Supplementary

O


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

Student support

29 Prospective students should beprovided with a clear picture of

what will be involved in

pursuing the e-learning

programme and the expectations

that will be placed on them.

This should include information

on technical (system and VLE)

requirements, requirements

concerning background

knowledge and skills, the nature

of the programme, the variety of

learning methods to be used, the

nature and extent of supportprovided, assessment

requirements, fees, etc.

Individualsstudents

Plus

alignment

aspect?

91 (Studentunderstanding)

But a leadingindicator to PnM 91

could add separately

as a New

Supplementary

R NS

30 E-learning students should be

provided with the equivalent of

a student handbook setting out

their rights and responsibilities,

those of their institution, a full

description of their course or

programme, and information on

the ways in which they will be

assessed.

Individuals

students

Linked to 91

(Student

understanding)

Well within QAA

territory

D


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category

Nearest

Pick&Mix

criterion

Commentary re

Pick&Mix etc

Rec.

for

MIT90

s

Rec.

PnM

supp.

31 E-learning students should have

access to learning resources andlearner support systems which,

although they may be provided

through different means, are the

equivalent of those available to

campus-based students. These

should include:

access to library resources

support for the

development of key skills

(including support for e-

learning skills,

collaborative working on-line and contributing to on-

line communities which are

key skills in an e-learning

context)

advice and counselling overchoice of courses and

progression through the

programme

an identified academic

contact, tutor and/or mentor

who will provide

constructive feedback onacademic performance and

progression

access to help desk,

administrative support and

advisory services

opportunities to provide

and receive formal

feedback on their

experience on the course

procedures to handle andresolve any difficulties or

disputes which may arise.

Individuals

students

51 (Uniformity) Close match

Some of the criteria

below may require

separate treatment

also

R

O

32 Students should be provided

with clear and up-to-date

information on the range of

support services available and

how these may be accessed.

Individuals

students

None Out of scope for e-

learning

benchmarking?

D

33 The expectations on students for

their participation in the on-line

community of learners needs to

be made clear both in general

terms and in relation to specific

parts of their course or

programme.

Individuals

students

Linked to 91

(Student

understanding)

Rather similar to 29

above

O

Documents

E-xcellence benchmarks compared