S5.3.1

=Institutional standards are defined for the assessment of teaching staff e-learning skills. =

Evidence
Design and development plans should include formal processes for ongoing support of teaching staff and courses. Policy and guidelines should mandate staff capability assessments and require their use in ongoing staff development. Regular overview reports of capability should inform strategies for ongoing resourcing and development of e-learning.

Standards and guidelines define the quality of teaching, build consensus about the process of developing a course and help staff learn good practice. They can help to ensure that resources are well used. They can also serve as a check list when evaluating online learning. However, it is noted that quality standards and guidelines must not become more important than outcomes. And also, as reiterated by Meyer (2003), some guidelines are not based on research.

Inglis (2005) notes that guidelines should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders. Guidelines alone may not ensure quality (Meyer 2003), but should be used in conjunction with a number of sources that give evidence of quality within and specific to the organization and its expectations.

Resources
Milne & White (2005) collect together twenty-three sets of e-learning quality guidelines from an array of geographical regions. Such guidelines, or something like them, should be part of the support offered to staff by their organizations. Staff need guidelines, and examples of good practice.