Fundamental changes in society occur when unexpected events force widespread experimentation around a new idea. For example, during World War II, when men went to war. During this season, women showed that they could do men’s work better or just like them. Everything changed after that. Similarly, current circumstances are forcing global experimentation with digital education.
As this great event in the implementation of e-learning progresses, we must pay attention to the educational models that digital education offers. Likewise, to the factors that are taken into account to measure quality in institutions. As well as on online training platforms.
How is Digital Education Working Today?
Digital education is a teaching that is based on digital innovation and that aims to impart knowledge to students. It also makes use of a wide range of technology-enhanced educational strategies. Thus, it includes techniques such as blended learning, flipped learning, personalized learning.
It also uses digital tools, e-learning platforms and other strategies that are based on technology in online education to a greater or lesser degree. In general, when taking an online training program, you can find resources such as:
- Course guides, instructor hours, and weekly schedules.
- Downloadable readings, videoconferences and audio recordings or podcasts.
- Instructions and tools for submitting assignments.
- Interactive media including quizzes, tests, and practice exercises.
- Classroom chat and course-specific discussion threads.
- Research and reference library databases.
- Grades, teacher comments, academic records, and project information.
- Student support services, including teacher questions and answers, academic advising, writing centres, and technical support.
What Indicators are Used to Measure Its Effectiveness
The use of information technologies in the digital age has had a strong impact on the educational system, especially in online learning, because as technology advances, digital literacy becomes a key requirement to interact, both in the private sphere as well as the labour one.
Therefore, it is important to understand how students learn and how they can best be taught. In addition to knowing which are the most appropriate teaching strategies for the appropriation of content and how to efficiently organize educational resources. To ensure this goal, the quality indicators for online teaching are divided into eight standard categories:
- Professional responsibilities: It is primarily assessed whether the online teacher meets the professional teaching model or has academic credentials in the field in which they are teaching.
- Digital pedagogy: Here it is measured whether the online teacher uses digital tools that support communication. Also, productivity, collaboration, analysis, presentation, research, content delivery and interaction.
- Community construction: The platform and its online teachers are verified to use student-centred instructional strategies. While implementing current practices that leverage technology for student collaboration.
- Student participation: At this point, it is ensured that students have the necessary course resources and adequate information to navigate the learning platform and perform the required tasks in a timely manner.
- Digital citizenship: In this topic, the online platform establishes standards for student behaviour that are designed to ensure academic integrity and appropriate use of the Internet that adhere to program-level policies.
- Diverse instruction: The online teacher and support staff, where the appropriate, monitor and interpret student progress. In this way, they provide additional support to all students.
- Evaluation and measurement: The teacher or online platform measures student progress through assessments, projects, and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals.
- Instructional design: The teacher or eLearning platform selects and creates instructional materials. Likewise, tools, strategies and resources to involve all students and guarantee the achievement of academic goals