Assessment is an evaluative process to determine attainment of goals and objectives. Accreditation agencies, such as the HLC, expect assessment to be used to both evaluate institutions, programs, and courses as well as for their respective continuous quality improvement (HLC, 2015 AU114: The in-text citation "HLC, 2015" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ). Faculty use assessment as an evaluative process to determine learner attainment of assignment objectives. Feedback complements assessment and may be considered a part of assessment or assessment a part of feedback. The differentiator, however, is that feedback also includes an element of coaching or guidance (e.g. what was done well and where improvements need to be made).
Published in Chapter:
Ensuring Quality: The Faculty Role in Online Higher Education
Arthur Richardson Smith (Southwestern College, USA)
Copyright: © 2017
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0877-9.ch011
Abstract
A varied set of major stakeholders in higher education results in diverse perspectives on what entails quality in online higher education. Learners, employers, accreditation agencies, funding and regulatory authorities, and higher education institutions exist for different purposes. Yet, all have a common interest in the success of the learners' education. Examining the faculty role in ensuring quality in online higher education, developing a working definition of that role, and identifying considerations for faculty practice that are essential to achieving that end is the purpose of this chapter. The chapter conveys and explains the results of a thematic analysis of the requirements and expectations of the major stakeholders, their contribution toward the formulation of the working definition of the faculty role, their contribution toward the identification of significant considerations for faculty in exercising their role, and makes recommendations for further investigation.