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.
The concepts discussed by the authors are something that not only could online institutions learn from, but also more traditional institutions as well. Again, the idea of looking at several different factors when evaluating a course makes a lot of sense. By looking at more than just one view of a program or a course and realizing that there are a lot of things that one must take into consideration when creating or planning a course or program is important. If all you do is look at items from an instructor’s perspective, you will miss a lot of important details. Just as if you planned things out from an administrative and cost stand point, you will miss important curriculum points that the instructor may know that an administrator may not know. Looking at any item from several different view points will give a better understanding of what will be occurring, what should occur, and what problems may arise better than if you look at things from one view only.
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