Institute for Higher Education Policy Quality Benchmarks Help Guide OnlineLearning.net Growth and Success
Los Angeles, CA – OnlineLearning.net, the
nation’s largest provider of online professional development courses for educators,
announced today that it now meets twenty-four key industry quality distance education
benchmark criteria. The list of twenty-four quality measures is the centerpiece
of “Quality On the Line” — an Institute for Higher Education Policy study commissioned
by the NEA and Blackboard Inc., a leading Internet infrastructure provider for
e-Learning. “We applaud The Institute, NEA and Blackboard for pushing the industry
to higher accountability and thereby generating more consumer confidence in the
quality of online education,” said John Kobara, President and CEO of OnlineLearning.net.
“What is especially exciting is the
importance the report has placed in these benchmarks on the three aspects of
distance learning that have been the foundation of OnlineLearning.net’s success:
student support services, instructor training, and quality content,” added Kobara.
OnlineLearning.net is committed to helping this growing industry create an environment
of high quality and credibility during these formative years.”
Matthew Pittinsky, Chairman and co-Founder
of Blackboard Inc., said “We hoped the benchmarks would be invaluable to colleges
and universities around the world for years to come as they keep their focus
on quality for Internet-based teaching and learning environments. OnlineLearning.net
is one of the industry’s leaders and their endorsement of the benchmarks will
reinforce their usefulness and impact.”
As an example of OnlineLearning.nets
commitment to quality, one of The Institutes benchmarks requires that “questions
directed to student service personnel are answered accurately and quickly, with
a structured system in place to address student complaints.” OnlineLearning.net
has established its “online concierge service” as one of the keys to its high
student satisfaction record. The OnlineLearning.net “Course Management Team”
answers student questions and provides timely solutions to the myriad situations
that can arise during an academic quarter. The accuracy and speed of responses
to inquiries of all kinds is unique in the distance learning industry, explained
Kobara.
Another of the benchmarks states that
“faculty members are assisted in the transition from classroom teaching to online
instruction and are assessed during the process.” Through the OnlineLearning.net
“instructor development program” instructors are expected to master the basics
of the Blackboard software platform and are required to read about and discuss
online course pedagogy. It is a mandatory six-week online program developed
by Dr. Susan Ko, Director of Online Curriculum and Instructor Development at
OnlineLearning.net. Additionally, Instructors are mentored through their entire
teaching experience, and are encouraged to ask for advice and assistance throughout
the academic quarter. A separate criteria states that “feedback to student assignments
and questions is constructive and provided in a timely manner,” something Dr.
Ko says she stresses this in the instructor development program.
As expected, an important place on the
list is reserved for course content. Onlinelearning.net has partnered with content
providers like UCLA Extension, The University of San Diego, and Houghton Mifflin
publishing company, among others, and is the preferred online course provider
for the California Teachers Association. “We work together with these fine institutions,
and add incredible value to the course content with our host of services,” said
Kobara. In addition, OnlineLearning.net courses are powered by the Blackboard
software platform.
OnlineLearning.net’s investors and strategic
partners include: Houghton Mifflin Company (NYSE:HTN), a leading publisher of
textbooks, instructional technology, assessments, and other educational materials
for the elementary and secondary school and college markets; Sylvan Learning
Systems (NasdaqNM:SLVN), Inc., the nation’s leading provider of educational
services to families, schools and industry; the Times Mirror Company, owners
of the largest training company in the world; and St. Paul Venture Capital,
one of the nation’s premiere venture capital firms.
The complete list of 24 Measures of
Quality in Internet-Based Distance Learning can be found on The
Institute for Higher Education Policy
OnlineLearning.net
National Education Association
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Blackboard Inc.
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Institute for Higher Education Policy
Contact Information:
Jim Jepsen, (213) 689-4656, ext. 221
