Affiliation:
1. Computer Science Department, Syrian Virtual University, Damascus, Syria
Abstract
Quality assurance has become an urgent necessity in all spheres of life, including education and learning in all stages from primary school to higher education, since it constitutes the core of development in the new era of knowledge economy. The aim of this paper is to present a new methodology applied to ensure quality of learning process within virtual learning environments. Our case study focused on the model of quality control adopted by Syrian Virtual University (SVU), which is pioneer in the field of virtual learning in the Middle East and the Arab region. The methodology is based on SET methodology (Students Evaluation Test) and defined by the assessments of each of the four pillars of learning process: (1) Assessment of tutors performed by learners; (2) Assessment of tutors performed by the administration; (3) Assessment of tutors performed by their peers; (4) Self-assessment of tutors. The last two procedures have not been yet implemented within SVU, while other procedures are in continuous development in order to improve their results. The importance of this model comes from its flexibility, its appliance since 2018 in a virtual education establishment (Syrian Virtual University), its possible generalization to any similar environment with virtual academic programs.
Reference16 articles.
1. Herbert W. Marsh, Lawrence A. Making students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness effective: The critical issues of validity, bias, and utility. American Psychologist 52(11), November 1997, https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.52.11.1187
2. Badri, M. A., Abdulla, M., Kamali, M. A., & Dodeen, H. Identifying potential biasing variables in student evaluation of teaching in a newly accredited business program in the UAE. International Journal of Educational Management, January 2006. 20(1), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610639585
3. Clifford Nowell, Lewis R. Gale, Bruce Handley John B. Goddard. Assessing faculty performance using student evaluations of teaching in an uncontrolled setting. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 35(4): 463-475. July 2010. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930902862875
4. Stuart Palmer, (2011), An institutional study of the influence of ‘onlineness’ on student evaluation of teaching in a dual mode Australian university. 28th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. December 2011.
5. Mary R. Hedges, Don J. Webber, Using student evaluations to improve individual and department teaching qualities. Pages 323-339. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Published online, 07 July 2014. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2014.920584