{"id":280,"date":"2020-05-31T17:34:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T23:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0111\/?p=280"},"modified":"2020-05-31T17:34:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T23:34:14","slug":"educational-and-program-integrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0111\/educational-and-program-integrity\/","title":{"rendered":"Educational and Program Integrity"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my prior Blog Post<\/a>, I explained that I was interested in exploring the issue of academic integrity in distance learning,\u00a0 and in discovering if\/how educational institutions maintain the integrity and quality of their courses when transitioning from traditional to remotely delivered formats. (Helfer, 2020). I wondered if higher-order learning outcomes could be assessed in an authentic way in a remotely delivered course, and if failing this, would the integrity of the educational experience be compromised? (Helfer, 2020). I expected to delve into this topic and find some research that would support my preconceived notion that institutions are lacking the necessary processes and resources that would ensure the integrity of the course was maintained in all delivery modalities. While I’m not yet entirely convinced that this isn’t true, I was surprised to discover an area of quality assurance in post-secondary education that I was previously unaware of.<\/p>\n

The Government of Alberta website<\/a> provides an overview of the criteria that publicly funded, post-secondary programs offered in Alberta must meet.\u00a0 In reviewing these criteria, I’m left with the impression that even with legislative governance, there is no guarantee as to the quality or integrity of the educational programming being offered in many post-secondary institutions. For example, I read that while programs must include learning outcomes and evaluation components in<\/em> order to meet the criteria, programs offered at certificate and diploma levels are exempt from the quality review and monitoring process (Government of Alberta, 2020). To investigate this further, I visited the Campus Alberta Quality Council website,<\/a>\u00a0(the body responsible for conducting the quality reviews for degree programs), and verified that indeed they do not perform quality reviews at the certificate or diploma levels. They do however provide recommendations for all institutions to follow, including advocating for the use of learning outcomes and learning outcomes assessments (Campus Alberta Quality Council, 2017).<\/p>\n

It now appears to me that the alignment of \u00a0learning outcomes and assessments is more widely understood and discussed than I initially thought, but I’m still left searching for policy that addresses to what degree this is actually being done by institutions, and what guidance and supports are in place to ensure the integrity of the programs being offered remains in-tact.<\/p>\n

If you teach in higher education, perhaps you\u2019d answer a few questions:<\/p>\n