Performance Indicators and University Distance Education Providers
The idea of performance indicators and the overall structure of university distance programs is discussed within this article. As the authors look at the way online programs are evaluated they realized that there are several ideas that must be considered when evaluating an online or distance program in comparison to a traditional face-to-face program.
The authors address performance indicators in the sense of accountability. They do this in order to measure input and outcome not so much the process as to which the information was gleaned. Indicators that were looked as were participation of students; completion of the program and retention of students within a program, transfer student performance, financial costs to the institutions and allocation, space utilization for the institutions, student satisfaction, employment of students, employer satisfaction, research and development, and community service and economic impact.
The authors believed that when looking at all the different aspects on distance education, that there are several different factors that must be looked at. When doing this, it must also be considered that some of the students in the online or distance education courses are taking the courses not in order to receive a degree but to allow themselves to be lifelong learners. Many evaluations don’t take this into consideration. Also, there are many indicators that are mandated by different government entities. These indicators are not optional, but must be done by all educational institutions, however, they were created with a traditional setup in mind and do not always fit a distance or online program.
Shale, D., & Gomes, J. (2007). Performance indicators and university distance education providers. The Journal of Distance Education. 13(1), 1-20. Available:http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/139