identity

Some aspects of what we mean by eLearning quality can be captured in a reasonably objective manner (e.g. are learning objectives stated) but most of what we mean by quality (e.g. student engagement) can only be captured through more subjective measures. However, once we start to use subjective measures then the results begin to depend on who is doing the measuring, and, crucially, the results vary depending on the positioning of the reviewers with respect to the courseware.

So an eLearning producer may have one view (and within the company, the coders may have different views from the graphic designers), but the learners and teachers who will use the courseware, the employers who will employ those who have used the course, maybe the company that has commissioned the courseware for its employees, national government agencies and other social agencies may all have different perspectives on what is important in judging the quality of the courseware.

None of these perspectives have a monopoly on truth, and so the new international quality initiative ‘epprobate’ is using an approach that calls on views from a range of perspectives and stakeholders in order to develop its quality reviews.

Mere popularity is no guarantee of quality – one only has to look at the most popular TV programs, newspapers and YouTube videos to be convinced that popularity is not necessarily the same as quality!

On the other hand the traditional approach to quality assurance also has its problems. In education, the traditional approach has been for a small team of educational experts to come to a consensus view as to whether a journal article, a course, a programme of courses or an educational organization meets an established set of criteria. Such experts typically have knowledge of education and the quality evaluation processes and call on content experts if this is appropriate.

Such quality assurance systems have been criticised for being overly controlling, dominated by one particular perspective, and stifling initiative. So these approaches to quality assurance are giving way to quality enhancement approaches, and at the same time much more emphasis has begun to be put on student involvement in the quality process.

However these general quality schemes even in their most recent formulations are not ideally suited to the demands of an educational system subject to rapid change and growth and in particular those demands that arise from the use of eLearning. Many quality schemes for eLearning have been developed but most are somewhat tied to the limiting aspects of traditional quality approaches.

The solution that epprobate is proposing is to carry out reviews from a range of perspectives, in terms of a published set of quality criteria (http://epprobate.com/index.php/en/epprobate-quality-grid), and to involve the courseware producer with a learning community based around this review process. The production by the eLearning courseware producer of a self assessment is a vital part in encouraging the development of eLearning quality through self evaluation. A typical review panel would consist of representatives of the target group for the course, a pedagogical and quality expert, another eLearning courseware producer, a content expert and the eLearning courseware producer. This panel would produce a report examining the courseware in terms of the published criteria, and would award the epprobate label where the courseware was found to be of high quality.

Rather than simply a process of providing a label, the core of the epprobate process is the promotion of a community of peers working together to improve eLearning quality. We will achieve our goal of supporting the development of high quality eLearning courseware through a combination of consulting with a range of perspectives and multiple stakeholders, reviewing against a published set of criteria, producing detailed evaluative reports, and involving eLearning producers within our learning community.

I denne artikel argumenterer vi for, at de nuværende e-læringssystemer, som anvender online kollaborativ læring ikke i tilstrækkelig grad opfylder de essentielle sikkerhedskrav. En begrænsning, som kan have stor indflydelse på de kollaborative læringsprocesser. For at afhjælpe disse problemer, forslår vi en tilgang baseret på PKI-modeller (Public Key Infrastructure), som omfatter essentielle sikkerhedsegenskaber og autentificering, adgangskontrol, fortrolighed, uafviselighed (non repudiation), tidsstempling, revisionstjeneste og driftssvigtkontrol.

Forskning udført af EU Kids Online i 2010 viste, at kun 54 % børn og unge siger, at de er i stand til, og rent faktisk sammenligner, informationer fra forskellige onlinekilder, inden de godtager dem som sande og pålidelige. For at efterprøve denne antagelse, udarbejdede det lettiske Sikkert Internet-center sammen med den lettiske sociale netværksside Draugiem.lv et eksperiment, som skulle teste unges forsigtighed, når de giver personlige oplysninger online. Resultaterne peger på et behov for større foranstaltninger, som arbejder med og styrker unges kritiske digitale forståelse.

Det står klart ud fra vores analyse, at de skoler, som benytter enten teknologisk intervention (f.eks. filtrering) eller politikudarbejdelse, generelt klarer sig bedre end dem, som kræver langvarig ressourceinvestering (som oplæring) eller involvering af hele skolen (som forældreuddannelse og fællesskabsforståelse). Monitorering og rapportering præsterer heller ikke godt. Det er interessant at bemærke, at selv med næsten det dobbelte antal deltagende skoler, forbliver de stærkest og svagest præsterende skoler næsten konstant i hele 2010 og 2011, med kun en svag forbedring.

Analyseværktøjet, som blev benyttet til at indsamle disse data benyttes nu i pilotprojekter i USA og Australia. Når det anvendes fuldt ud i disse lande, vil vi for første gang få adgang til detaljerede analyser om international præstation på området. Det medfører nogle spændende muligheder for at forstå, på internationalt plan, hvordan skoler involverer sig i onlinesikkerhed og sørger for beskyttelse af deres elever, personale og bredere fællesskab.