Assessing the need for a quality framework designed specifically for managing the provision of online distance education in developing countries
Quality assurance and quality improvement processes employ quality frameworks to ensure comprehensive coverage of the factors affecting students' experiences of learning. The importance of quality frameworks has increased with the shift to online delivery of courses. A number of quality frameworks for use in quality management in relation to delivery of courses online at a distance may be found in the educational literature. However, most of these frameworks have been designed for use in a developed country context. Such frameworks may not be suitable for use in a developing country context where factors such as the robustness of the communications infrastructure, capacity of teachers to use technology, students' access to technology, the affordability of technology, and a range of other factors can have a much greater impact on students' learning experiences. Designing a new quality framework for use specifically in a developing country context is a substantial project. Before embarking on such an enterprise one needs to be satisfied that existing frameworks are unsuitable for the task and that adapting an existing framework would not offer a most cost effective solution than moving on to the development of a new framework. This paper draws on the research literature to identify the range of known challenges faced in delivering programs by online distance education in a developing country context. It then examines the extent to which a number of existing quality frameworks capture information on institutional performance in relation to these challenges. Finally, it considers whether a case can be made for development of a new quality framework specifically designed for use in a developing country context. QUALITY IN ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION Quality has always been seen as an issue in distance education. It was recognition of the importance of addressing issues of quality and the effectiveness with which these issues were subsequently tackled that led to the success of the UK Open University. With the exponential growth of online distance education that following the establishment of the World Wide Web, quality has once again become a topic of keen interest. Quality is not something that can be measured along a single dimension. Many factors contribute to quality. A quality framework is a conceptual structure that identifies the factors impacting quality in a particular context (Inglis, 2008, Inglis, Ling Joosten, 2002) The purpose of a quality framework is to ensure that the full range of factors known to impact quality are taken into consideration in managing quality assurance and quality improvement. Over the past fifteen years a number of quality frameworks have been developed for use in relation to online learning (Chua Lam, 2007; Inglis, et al, 2002; Masoumi, 2010, Phipps Merisotis, 2000) Most published frameworks have been developed and validated in developed country contexts. In much of the quality literature a tacit assumption is made that the factors impacting quality apply equally throughout the world. Yet in the area of online distance education it is well known that there are substantial differences between developed and developing country contexts in the ways courses are delivered. While undoubtedly there are factors that are universal (McLoughlin Visser, 2003) there are also many factors that are specific to developing countries (Masoumi, 2010) The scope for using quality frameworks is arguably much greater in developing countries than it is in developed countries. The challenges in developing countries are greater than those in developed countries and therefore present a greater threat to the quality of students' learning experiences. There is a widely held belief in developing countries that the quality of courses taught online is lower than that are taught face to face (Wright, Dhanarajan Reju, 2009) and therefore the advantages of being able to demonstrate the quality of what is being offered are greater. Recently, Masoumi (2010) has reviewed the literature on quality frameworks for the purpose of designing a quality framework for use in the developing country of Iran. Masoumi concluded that the type of quality framework required for use in a developing country is quite different from the quality frameworks that are presently available. He argued that a quality framework is a cultural artefact, and as such needs to reflect the cultural context in which it is being applied. Designing a quality framework is a substantial project. Before embarking on such a project it is important to establish that the need is justified. The purpose of this paper is to examine how adequately existing quality frameworks meet the needs of developing countries. CHALLENGES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES In order to establish whether the challenges of implementing online learning in developing countries are sufficiently different from those in developed countries as to justify development of new quality frameworks, one should first consult the literature. A worthwhile place at which to start is with the work of Andersson Gronlund (2009) examining the types of challenges faced in developing countries in the area of online learning. These researchers began by developing a conceptual framework for describing the types of challenges involved in implementing online learning as revealed by the research literature. They then used this framework to identify the differences between the challenges faced in developing countries compared with those faced in developed countries. The conceptual framework they developed comprises thirty challenges divided into four main categories: individual, course, contextual, and technological. The categories where developing countries were found to be facing much greater challenges were technological and contextual. The technology category included infrastructure, costs, useability and appropriateness of technology, while contextual challenges included organisational, and cultural/societal challenges. Both developed and developing countries were found to be experiencing course related challenges, while individual challenges did not show up strongly in the research related to developing countries. An assumption that Andersson Gronlund (2009) made in their study was that the challengers that researchers choose to investigate will be the same challenges with which practitioners have to contend. In discussing possible uses of their framework, they suggested that it could be employed as a checklist of the factors that would need to be considered when designing a project. Challenges related to the technology It is widely recognised that the standard of telecommunications infrastructure in developing countries falls well below that in developed countries. In those countries in which the telecommunications infrastructure is deficient, institutions will face much greater problems in delivering courses online. In developing countries, the strength of the terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure drops as soon as one moves away from the main population centres. Developing countries therefore place much greater reliance on satellite telecommunications than do developed countries. However, many of the satellites that are being used are over 20 years old and because of their age their capacity is quite limited (Wright, et al. 2009) It is not just the availability of telecommunications infrastructure that affects whether students in rural and remote areas can learn online, but also the reliability of the infrastructure. Loss of access to online delivery systems is more often caused by interruptions to the electricity supply than by failure of the infrastructure itself. The ability of authorities to maintain the telecommunications and electricity infrastructure is often limited by the lack of availability of appropriately qualified technical staff. In many countries, attempts to improve the telecommunications infrastructure are thwarted by the lack of systematic approach to the implementation of ICT projects (Sife, Lwoga Sanga, 2007) Other technological challenges include ensuring that delivery systems fit the chosen learning modals and are easy to use, and adapting technology and software to fit local culture and language (Andersson Gronlund, 2009) Contextual challenges Amongst the contextual challenges identified by Andersson Gronlund (2009) were organisational challenges, including the challenges of managing and building knowledge, the economics of delivery and the and the training of teachers and staff, and societal/cultural challenges including the roles of teacher and student, attitudes to distance education and online learning and rules and regulations. Knowledge of the factors impacting students' learning is built up through research. It has been recognised that one of the factors that has been handicapping the advance of online learning in developing countries has been the paucity of empirical research and the fact that such research as is undertaken often reports positive or inconclusive findings (Latchem, 2007) While obtaining access to the Internet is a critical issue in many developing countries, the cost of access often presents almost as great a challenge. Telecommunications costs are often higher than in developed countries, especially if telecommunications services rely on the limited bandwidth of aging satellites. Although the arrival of inexpensive netbook computers has lowered the cost of hardware, the cost of even the least expensive computers is still well out of reach of a large proportion of the population in many developing countries. One way in which governments and institutions are responding to the issue of cost is by fostering the development of neighbourhood learning centres (Wright, et al. 2009) Another response has been to take advantage of the available but less capable technologies such as cell phones (Balasubramanian, Thamizoli, Umar, Kanwar,