E-xcellence: Benchmarking tool for quality in e-learning
 | E-xcellence is a webbased instrument focusing on the quality assessment of e-learning in higher education. |
Institutions and regulatory bodies of course all have a defined set of processes which provide for the development, monitoring, evaluation and enhancement of HE provision. E-xcellence offers a supplementary instrument which may be used with these QA processes to allow the consideration of e-learning developments as a specific feature.
E-xcellence offers a European-wide set of benchmarks, independent of particular institutional or national systems, and with guidance to educational improvement.
A Task Force updates the developed instruments yearly. Experts from CELSTEC form part of this Task Force.
E-xcellence offers two tools to assess the e-learning quality:
Quickscan
The Quickscan provides a quick orientation on all relevant aspects of e-learning. The aspects that are assessed are specific to e-learning and are related to categories of:
- Curriculum design
- Course design
- Course delivery
- Services (student support; staff support)
- Management (institutional strategies)
Full assessment
The full assessment will enable you to determine the performance of your e-learning programmes and to pinpoint the requirements for further enhancement. It is a self-assessment approach with an on-site visit by an e-learning expert.
These tools are the main products of a two-year project, undertaken under the auspices of EADTU and involving a pool of experts from 12 European institutions with a stake in e-learning developments.
A Task Force Quality Assurance is established to update the instrument regularly and publish yearly a new version. The Task Force consists of expert representatives from open universities, traditional universities and accreditation bodies in higher education.
E-xcellence was developed under auspices of EADTU by experts from 12 European institutions. The collaborating institutions are:
- European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU)
- The Open University (OUUK)
- Open Universiteit Nederland (OUNL)
- University of Oulu (OULU)
- Centre National d'Enseignement à Distance (CNED)
- Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
- Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
- Estonian Information Technology Foundation (EITSA)
- National Council for Distance Education (APERTUS)
- Network per l'Universita Ovunque (NETTUNO)
- European University Association (EUA)
- The eLearning Industry Group (eLIG)
- Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie (NVAO)
