Quality assurance model for digital adult education materials

Published date05 September 2016
Date05 September 2016
Pages562-585
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2015-0008
AuthorHelen Dimou,Achilles Kameas
Subject MatterEducation,Curriculum, instruction & assessment,Educational evaluation/assessment
Quality assurance model for
digital adult education materials
Helen Dimou
Department of Mathematics, University of Patras, Patras,
Greece and Hellenic Open University,
Patras, Greece, and
Achilles Kameas
School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University,
Patras, Greece
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to present a model for the quality assurance of digital educational material
that is appropriate for adult education. The proposed model adopts the software quality standard
ISO/IEC 9126 and takes into account adult learning theories, Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives
and two instructional design models: Kolb’s model (the learning cycle) and Gagne, Briggs and Wager’s
model.
Design/methodology/approach – The structure of this paper is as follows: in the second section, the
theory of “the learning cycle of Kolb” is discussed. The third section discusses the model of Gagne,
Biggs & Wager. The fourth section discusses and categorizes the characteristics and
sub-characteristics of the quality of digital educational material. The fth section discusses and
categorizes the quality attributes of digital educational material. Moreover, the correlation of the
sub-characteristics of the material with the model of Gagne and that of Kolb are examined.
Findings – The authors developed a quality model that adopts the structure of ISO/IEC 9126 standard,
using basic notions of theories of adult education to dene its characteristics and sub-characteristics.
The model has been successfully applied in the quality evaluation of educational material distributed to
distance learning adult students.
Originality/value The innovative combination of an established quality model with sound
educational theories yields a comprehensive model that allows both a qualitative and quantitative
evaluation of the appropriateness of digital educational material. The applicability of the model is
demonstrated by applying it to specic digital materials specially developed for adult education.
Keywords Adult education, Quality assurance, Digital educational material,
Open and distance learning, Learning cycle, Instructional events
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
According to Holmberg (1977), distance learning includes various forms of education at
all levels, which is conducted without the direct and continuous supervision of
instructors in classrooms, with students, who can still benet from the organization,
guidance and teaching provided by an educational institution. The term “distance
study” or “distance learning” refers to the overall activity of the learner, who is being
educated and learns while being away from their educator, using specially designed
learning materials in combination with communication with the instructor.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
QAE
24,4
562
Received 1 March 2015
Revised 18 December 2015
20 July 2016
Accepted 20 July 2016
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.24 No. 4, 2016
pp.562-585
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-03-2015-0008
For the purposes of this paper, we can consider digital material to consist of digital
content that is delivered using a technology medium appropriate for a particular
purpose or application. If the purpose is educational, then we refer to digital learning
material. For example, the content of the digital learning material can be text, the
technological means can be a Web-based hypertext, while the pedagogical/didactic
application is the context in which the application is used (e.g. as supplementary
material in a thematic module of the Hellenic Open University).
In the relevant bibliography, very few approaches to the quality certication of
digital educational material are mentioned, compared to the numerous studies on the
quality of educational services. In addition, these studies refer to traditional educational
practices, not taking into account the special requirements of distance/adult trainees.
For example, in Tsinidou et al. (2010), which refers to a traditional technical higher
education institute (HEI), the quality of educational material is considered as having low
priority compared to the quality of educational services. Clearly, this is not the case with
distance HEIs because in distance learning, digital educational material assumes the
role of the instructor. Although during the past 10 years, a great volume of digital
educational material has been developed, no acceptable certication model for the
quality of digital educational material appropriate for adult education has been
published. Thus, a theoretical and practical gap has emerged, which the present
research intends to bridge by suggesting a model for the quality assurance of digital
educational material appropriate for adult education.
To create such a quality assurance model, we need to study, separately, the following:
the characteristics and uses of digital educational material, the denition of not only
quality in general but also of the quality of digital educational material, the quality
assurance and certication model of digital educational material, digital material
quality standards that are in effect today, the measurement of quality using different
methods, the contemporary learning theories and trends, the characteristics of adult
education and, nally, the characteristics of distance learning (Jung, and Latchem,
20127; Prisa˘cariu, 2014).
The study of the parameters outlined is decisive for the deduction of the pedagogical
and technical characteristics of quality that the digital educational material must have,
when it is intended for the specic use we examine. he respective quality attributes and
the suggested model will result from these characteristics.
Based on the above, the structure of this paper is as follows: in the second section,
the theory of the learning cycle of Kolb (1984) is discussed. The third section
discusses the model of Gagne et al. (1992). The fourth section discusses and
categorizes the characteristics and sub-characteristics of the quality of digital
educational material. The fth section discusses and categorizes the quality
attributes of digital educational material. Moreover, the correlation of the
sub-characteristics of the material with the model of Gagne et al. and that of Kolb are
examined.
2. The learning cycle model of Kolb
Over the past 30-35 years, new important theories that focus on the particular way in
which adults learn have been developed. In 1984, David Kolb presented his theory of
experiential learning and proposed a model called the learning cycle. Kolb’s theory was
based on the ndings of other scientists who dealt with the effect of learning experience
563
Digital adult
education
materials

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