Recently published is the Digital Learning Innovation 2017 Report, discussing the current state of learning innovation in higher education. Over 200 educators shared insights from their experiences as instructors, learning designers, deans, provosts, and other university-employed roles working to improve student outcomes through technology.
The second chapter of the report focuses on quality — namely, how do you ensure, maintain, and improve the quality of digitally-enabled learning?
According to the report findings, 32% of respondents said that 5 years ago “scaling access” was more important than “improving quality” to their institution’s digital learning innovation strategy, with only 15% saying the obverse. That focus has shifted, with 47% of survey respondents reporting that improving quality is more important today.
47% of survey respondents report that improving the quality of learning is more important than just scaling access
Why do universities now place more importance on quality than scale? You could say it is the natural order. When online learning was first growing in popularity, it was enough to just move PDFs and multiple-choice quizzes online for universities to capture the interests of the global market; prioritizing scale was necessary to reach long-distance learners and better serve large lecture classes. Once accomplished, universities must continually improve what they offer to remain competitive. As such, improving the quality of learning, both online and offline, has taken center stage as a strategic goal for many universities. And this is good because when universities compete on quality, students win.
Direct from the report, this infographic shares what the “dos and don’ts” of ensuring quality in online learning:
More about learning innovation efficacy
When you’re thinking about improving the quality of digital learning in your courses, we hope the Digital Learning Innovation 2017 Report serves as a useful resource to see what has worked for other educators. If you’re interested, read more about the background and research in our last blog post.
Smart Sparrow is dedicated to helping educators improve the quality of student learning through the use of active and adaptive courseware. If you’re interested in how our adaptive elearning platform can transform your blended or online courses, reach out to our team to request a demo or quick overview.
