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Strategies of Quality Control In Distance Education Masters Thesis Concordia University
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Why This Project
For the past few years, the general interest in distance education has grown. Indeed this may be the reason that I entered into the M.A. in Educational technology program at this institution. As I began to complete the sequence of courses I encountered a number of new �buzzwords� including such terms as e-learning, and distributive education. There are even those who feel that distance education, in conjunction with digital technologies, will bring about a �democratization� of education, making the barrier of distance, a barrier no more. Perhaps this is a lofty goal, however today, distance education is everywhere. But what of the quality of the education being offered? How, and who, controls the quality of what is being taught? Indeed, do the institutions offering the instruction really know if they are presenting a quality product? And if so, how?
When one begins to study the research surrounding quality control in distance educational settings, it seems as though administrators are looking for that quality control �silver bullet,� a bullet that will ensure that �theirs� is a quality product. However, that silver bullet may already exist, as the research into distance education is great, but tremendously disorganized, scattered throughout a great many sources. It appears as though there is a need to take the pieces of this quality control puzzle, and put them together, constructing a clearer and more coherent picture of the field today.
Research synthesis of scholarly sources can play an important role in dissemination of knowledge, and in the shaping of further research. With the plethora of information being generated by an unparalleled number of research publications, it soon becomes necessary for those who wish to conduct research, to have a roadmap onto which they may find their way through what is known, in order to get to what still needs to be discovered. A synthesis of the existing research is suited to promote a better understanding of quality control issues in distance education, and would certainly benefit the area of educational professional practice in general. Indeed, synthesis of these materials is essential to the enhancement and the practical value of what is known.Email at Pat Stoddart
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updated:
05/05/2003
Copyright 2002 by Patrick J Stoddart