the basis of approved Centres for Adult Education (CAE) and Centres for Basic ...... 12.pdf. Vlaams Ministerie van onderwijs en vorming. (2016). ...... data die met de kwaliteitsinstrumenten worden verzameld leveren informatie om te reflecteren.
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Educational Sciences [Doctoraat in de Pedagogische Wetenschappen]
Development and Validation of A Conceptual Quality Management Model for Effective Institutional Continuous Quality Improvement of Online and Blended Learning in Adult Education It Takes More Than Two To Tango
YVES BLIECK 2018
Promotors: Prof. dr. Chang Zhu and Prof. dr. Koen De Pryck Educational Sciences (Educatiewetenschappen)
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents List of figures ..................................................................................................................................... 5 List of tables ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... 9 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 11 Preface ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 1: General Introduction ...................................................................................................... 17 1.1 Introduction: OBL in education .................................................................................................... 17 1.2 Background and problem statement ........................................................................................... 18 1.3 A conceptual framework that captures quality of OBL from the student perspective ................ 34 1.4 Objectives and scope of the PhD study ........................................................................................ 36 1.5 Research design and structure of the dissertation ...................................................................... 38 1.6 References.................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 2: Validation of a Conceptual Quality Framework for Online and Blended Learning with Success Factors and Indicators in Adult Education: a qualitative study ............................................ 51 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 51 2.2 Literature review .......................................................................................................................... 52 2.3 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 60 2.4 Results .......................................................................................................................................... 64 2.5 Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 69 2.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 72 2.7 References.................................................................................................................................... 73 Chapter 3: Consensus among Stakeholders about Success Factors and Indicators for Quality of Online and Blended Learning in Adult Education: a Delphi study ..................................................... 77 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 77 3.2 Literature review .......................................................................................................................... 78 3.3 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 84 3.4 Results .......................................................................................................................................... 90 3.5 Discussion and Implications ......................................................................................................... 93 3.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 97 3.7 References.................................................................................................................................... 98 Chapter 4: A Conceptual Model for Effective Quality management of Online and Blended Learning ...................................................................................................................................................... 101 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 102 4.2 A conceptual model for effective quality management of OBL ................................................. 104 4.3 Background for the conceptual model for effective quality management of OBL .................... 108 4.4 Conclusion and suggestions for further research ...................................................................... 113 4.5 References.................................................................................................................................. 114 Chapter 5: Investigating the Relationship between Success Factors and Student Participation in Online and Blended Learning in Adult Education: A Pilot Study ..................................................... 119 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 119 5.2 Literature review ........................................................................................................................ 120 4.3 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 126 5.4 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 129 5.5 Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 134 5.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 138 5.7 References.................................................................................................................................. 138
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Table of Contents Chapter 6: The Implementation of a Conceptual Model For Effective Quality Management of Online and Blended Learning in Adult Education....................................................................................... 143 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 144 6.2 Literature review ........................................................................................................................ 145 6.3 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 151 6.4 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 156 6.5 Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 164 6.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 168 6.7 References.................................................................................................................................. 168 Chapter 7: General Discussions and Conclusions ............................................................................ 173 7.1 Rationale of the research ........................................................................................................... 173 7.2 The main results and discussion in relation to the research questions ..................................... 175 7.3 Strengths and limitations of the research .................................................................................. 180 7.4 Suggestions for future research and recommendations for practice and policy ....................... 182 7.5 Final conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 189 7.6 References.................................................................................................................................. 190 Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 199 Appendix 1 (Chapter 2)..................................................................................................... 201 Appendix 2 (Chapter 3)..................................................................................................... 209 Appendix 3 (Chapters 4 and 6) ......................................................................................... 217 Appendix 4 (Chapter 5)..................................................................................................... 227 Academic track record ................................................................................................................... 239 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 243 Samenvatting ................................................................................................................................. 247 Glossary ......................................................................................................................................... 251
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List of figures
List of figures Figure 1.1 The CQI-cycle (plan-do-check-reflect-act), and its two alternating phases of quality assurance (QI) and quality improvement (QI), (Elassy, 2015; Sonpal-Valias, 2009; Williams, 2016). ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 1.2 A dialogue for internal quality improvement and external quality assessment between the stakeholders in education at the interface between the meso level with the macro level and the micro level and students. ............................................................................................................... 21 Figure 1.3 The CQI-cycle (plan-do-check-reflect-act), and its two alternating phases of quality assurance (QI) and quality improvement (QI), in the quadrant model of complementary evaluation (Elassy, 2015; Mutch, 2012; Sonpal-Valias, 2009; Williams, 2016). ............................. 22 Figure 1.4 Extant quality models for OBL capture three quality areas (management, services and products) that capture six common specific quality dimensions: strategic management, support of faculty, support of students, design of the programme, design of the courses and delivery of the courses (Ossiannilsson et al. 2015). ......................................................................................... 25 Figure 1.5 The structure of adult education at the macro, meso and micro level in Flanders (Belgium). ....................................................................................................................................................... 30 Figure 1.6 The conceptual framework for OBL in HE (Ossiannilsson & Landgren, 2012) with success factors (Ossiannilsson, 2012a), that are important to meet the needs of students in HE has the potential to capture quality in the three common quality areas in extant quality models from the providers’ perspective. .................................................................................................................. 34 Figure 1.7 Overview of the quantitative and qualitative methods to validate the conceptual quality framework by Ossiannilsson and Landgren (2012) (adapted from Inglis, 2008). .......................... 39 Figure 1.8 Overview of the research questions (RQ) related to the chapters with the corresponding studies and the artifacts and guidelines for effective CQI management of online and blended learning (OBL) in education in general and adult education (AE) in specific. ................................ 41 Figure 3.9 A dialogue for external quality assessment and internal quality improvement between the stakeholders in education (macro level, meso level, micro level and students). .......................... 79 Figure 3.10 Overview of the three common quality areas and seven quality dimensions (Ossiannilsson et al., 2015) explicitly present in e-xcellence (Williams, Kear, & Rosewell, 2012) and in different wording in other literature (Ehlers, 2004; Hansson, 2008; Jung, 2011, 2012; Marshal 2010). ..... 80 Figure 3.11 Congruency of success factors (Ossiannilsson & Landgren, 2012; Ossiannilsson 2012a) with components in extant quality models for OBL and the literature in HE. ....................................... 83 Figure 3.12 Hierarchical stopping criteria used by the researchers for assessment during the Delphi study (adapted from Dajani, Sincoff & Talley, 1979). .................................................................... 88 Figure 3.13 Summary of the Delphi rounds. .......................................................................................... 90 Figure 3.14 Overview of agreed descriptions of success factors with connections to quality dimensions. ....................................................................................................................................................... 94 Figure 4.15 The three common quality areas and six quality dimensions in quality management models (Ossiannilsson & Landgren, 2012; Ossiannilsson et al., 2015). ....................................... 102 Figure 4.16 The needs of students related to OBL captured in success factors (Ossiannilsson & Landgren, 2012). .......................................................................................................................... 103 Figure 4.17 Conceptual model for effective quality management of OBL (Abdous, 2009; Berge, 1995; Deepwell, 2007; Ehlers, 2007; Harvey, 2003; Jara & Mellar, 2009; Leiber, Stensaker, & Harvey, 2015; Moskal et al., 2013; Nihuka & Voogt, 2011; Schildkamp et al., 2014, 2015; Schildkamp, Poortman, Luyten, & Ebbeler, 2016; Sonpal-Valias, 2009). ......................................................... 105 Figure 4.18 The conceptual quality model of Ossiannilsson and Landgren (2012) can support effective CQI. .............................................................................................................................................. 108 Figure 4.19 An integrated approach for effective CQI management of OBL: DBDM-cycle and steps integrated into the PDCRA-cycle. ................................................................................................ 112 Figure 5.20 Hypothesised structural model for OBL quality from the student perspective ................ 125 Figure 5.21 Structural model with non-significant beta path coefficients for hypothesis three and significant beta paths for other hypotheses (H) (p
