Canadian Recommended E-learning Guidelines (CanREGs) The number of educational institutions offering online courses and students’ participation in web-based instruction has risen dramatically. Palloff and Pratt (1999) pointed out that “the more typical online student is seeking an active approach to learning and more involvement in the learning process”. In fact, students as consumers of e-learning want their education to be effective and efficient (Barker, 2004). If online courses cannot satisfy students’ needs, they are likely to withdraw from the course. Therefore, colleges and universities need quality standards in order to meet students’ expectations and make learning and training more accessible, more convenient, more effective, and more cost- efficient for the learners (Barker, 2004). E-learning experts in Canada and from the Commonwealth of Learning created a full set of standards of excellence in e-learning. The standard which is called the Canadian Recommended E-learning Guidelines (CanREGs), have been launched in the global e-learning community as the Open eQuality Learning Standards (Barker, 2004). “CanREGs developed with particular attention to return on investment in e-learning for learners” (Barker, 2004). This guideline has many dimensions (quality outcomes, quality process and practice, quality inputs and resources) that worked together to ensure achievement of desired learning outcomes. These criteria serve as the benchmark for effective course design. Instructors can use this guideline as a checklist at an early stage of the course development. In other words, it can be used as a way to design a new course for the online environment, following the guideline as a roadmap. Moreover, the CanREGs can be used as a course self-evaluation tool for instructors (Barker, 2004). “It has the potential to improve course quality dramatically and consume fewer institutional resources over time, as courses will need less revision to correct weaknesses” (Barker, 2006). Source: Barker, K. C_. (2007). E-learning Quality Standards for Consumer Protection and Consumer Confidence: A Canadian Case Study in E-learning Quality Assurance. Educational Technology & Society, 10 (2), 109-119.
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