Meridith Davis

OMDE 608-9040
September 30, 2016
Assignment #1

1.1 Policy Formation in an e-Learning Environment

FitzPatrick, T. (2012). Key success factors of eLearning in education: A

professional development model to evaluate and support eLearning. US-
China Education Review, 789-795.

This article proposes the Key Success Factors (KSF) model of eLearning
support. A review of the literature shows that there are several varied
factors that relate to the success, or failure, of an eLearning institution.
The author conducted a study to determine the factors that contribute
to the overall success of an eLearning program. The results from this
study show that the most influential factors in creating a successful
distance education program of study are technology, human
interaction, course design, learner support, and
assessment/evaluation. The author suggest that these factors must be
addressed when designing policy for an eLearning institution.

Hew, K. & Cheung, W. (2013). Designing and implementing e-learning

courses: A comparative analysis of policy guidelines from nine
professional organizations. International Journal of e-Education, e-
Business, e-Management, and e-Learning, 3(3), 178-182.

The authors of this study examined documents from nine distance

education institutions in order to determine the main themes in e-
learning policy. In their examination of these documents the authors
found several similarities and differences in policy and guidelines. Most
of the documents examined focused their policies and guidelines
around student and faculty support, learning objectives, and programs
of study. Most of the differences came in the form of student
collaboration, instructional strategies, and student administrative
support. The authors use this data to provide guidelines for
instructional design, student support, faculty support, feedback,
institutional support, and academic integrity.

Salajan, F. D. (2013). Policy formulation and networks of practice in European

eLearning: The emergence of a European e-learning area. European
Journal Of Education, 48(2), 292-310.

This article is aimed at the European E-Learning Area (EELA) and aims
to identify a set of guiding constructs for the development of distance
education in Europe. The author proposes three pillars for the e-
 learning community: formal legislation, mainstreamed e-learning
activities, and interlinked networks of practice. Formal legislation takes
aim at policies that are meant to realign the nations e-learning
consortium so that Member States have more control over their local
programs. The mainstreaming of ICT programs would ensure that the
quality of education and the course offerings are consistent between
different institutions. The third pillar of e-learning policy that the author
is suggesting is the proliferation of networks across the European
Union in order to strengthen the practices and programs of individual
institutions. A study of empirical evidence was conducted in order to
provide data that support the three pillars of e-learning policy
formation.

The criteria used in selecting these articles was as follows:

Full-text, peer reviewed, from a scholarly journal
Relating to policy formation in an e-learning environment
Provides specific details about current e-learning policy
Provides data showing the areas that are in need of policy change
Gives recommendations for policy changes to improve distance
education
Well-written, current, and organized

All three articles meet the criteria to varying degrees. Each article was found
through the UMUC library and were full-text and peer reviewed. A search of
e-learning policy turned up multiple results, including the Fitzpatrick and
Salajan articles. Both of those articles were chosen because they analyzed
current policy in distance education, conducted a case study to examine
areas of weakness in e-learning, and provided recommendations for
improvement. The Hew & Cheung article was chosen from the course list
because the authors provided strong recommendations for e-learning course
policy based on the documentation from nine different sources.

Source Rankings:
1 Hew & Cheung Although the authors did not conduct a case study as
part of their research, they provide a great deal of insight into the policy
changes that are needed in distance education based on their review of
nine documents from various distance learning authorities. Their research
was quite thorough and transparent which made it easy for the reader to
digest. Each policy suggestion was supported with a thorough explanation
as well as benefits for both teachers and students.
2 Salajan This article is quite detailed about the current policies in place in
the European e-learning area. The author provides many
recommendations for policy changes and includes strong support for each
proposal. The drawback to this article was its strong roots in the European
Union. As an America student reading this article many of the government
 references were confusing and not relatable. The author makes a strong
case for policy change in the EU, however these are not the same
regulations in American distance education, so there is a disconnect in
their usefulness.
3 FitzPatrick This article landed my lowest ranking because I felt it was not
as well-written or well-thought out as the others. The author provided a
decent literature review of success factors in e-learning and conducted a
study in order to develop his KSF model. His research, however, lacks
recommendations for policy change to implement his recommendations
for success in distance education. Rather, he ends his article after his
study identified his five key factors for success. I felt that adding a section
with future recommendations would have made his argument stronger
and more relevant to e-learning policy.

Although the Hew & Cheung article did come from the course syllabus, I
believe that it should remain a required reading as part of the OMDE 608
course. This article provides readers with an in-depth look at policy
guidelines from nine separate distance education entities, which is valuable
information for OMDE students. Hew & Cheung provide insight into which
policies are necessary for strengthening the quality of our current e-learning
system as well as the limitations of these policy guidelines. Future students
would benefit from their detailed list of strategies and learner support
systems that would impact the structure of distance education.

1.2 E-Portfolios and Assessment Tools in the Online Classroom

Beckers, J., Dolmans, D., van Merrienboer, J. (2016). E-Portfolios enhancing

students self-directed learning: A systematic review of influencing factors.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 32(3), 32-46.

Student directed learning is an inherit component of distance

education. In order to facilitate this learning students may create an e-
portfolio to showcase or document their learning. The authors have
identified four distinct types of e-portfolios: a dossier, a reflective
portfolio, a training portfolio, and a personal development portfolio.
These portfolios, whether mandated or voluntary, can motivate
students through the use of multimedia and easy access to technology.
After conducting a thorough search of over 9,000 online journals
Beckers, Dolmans, and van Merrienboer were able to conclude that
there are five main factors that contribute to the development of e-
portfolios. These factors, institutional, curriculum, learning process,
personal, and portfolio each represent different levels of the student
directed learning process. When each factor is properly aligned with
the correct level the use of the e-portfolio should fit seamlessly into the
curriculum.
Or Kan, S. (2011). Cooperative learning environment with the web 2.0 tool e-
portfolios. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education, 12(3), 201-214.

This case study aims to justify the use of e-portfolios as a digital

learning and assessment tool. The author first describes the challenges
of teaching and assessing a diverse population of students due to their
unique individual needs. He promotes the use of cooperative learning
to teach problem solving, communication, accountability, teamwork,
and interdependence. All of these skills lend themselves to a student-
centered approach to teaching and learning. At Smart School in
Malaysia the use of electronic portfolios demonstrates each students
work and achievements. The MyPortfolio site allows students to
collaborate on work and personalize their learning plan. A study of
students attending Smart School show that students enjoy creating e-
portfolios while developing cooperative learning skills.

Zawacki-Richter, O., Hanft, A., & Baecker, E. M. (2011). Validation of

competencies in e-portfolios: A qualitative analysis. International Review Of
Research In Open And Distance Learning, 12(1), 42-60.

As learning outcomes have shifted from what students should learn to

what they should be able to do, the e-portfolio has become a suitable
measure of competence to assess student achievement. This article
examines the use of e-portfolios at the University of Oldenburgs online
continuing education program. An in-depth case study was conducted
to determine the type of competencies demonstrated in an e-portfolio.
Researchers found that the portfolios are able to display students
existing competencies: personal, activity and action, methods and
professional, and socio-communicative. The authors note, however,
that e-portfolios cannot identify what causes the emergence of the
competency, only the existence of it in the students work.

The criteria used in selecting these articles was as follows:

Full-text, peer reviewed, from a scholarly journal
Relating to assessment in distance education courses (specifically e-
portfolios)
Provides specific details about current assessment practices in
distance education
Relates to the teaching and learning process in an online environment
Well-written, current, and organized

Each of the selected articles met my criteria for providing quality information
about assessment tools and learner development. A search in the UMUC
library database using the keywords e-portfolio, Learner development,
and distance education turned up multiple results, including the Or Kan
and Zawacki-Richter articles. I chose the Or Kan article because it gave
detailed information about the use of e-portfolios as an assessment tool at a
specific school. The Zawacki-Richter article provided an analysis of the types
of skills that are demonstrated in an e-portfolio. The Beckers article provided
an overview of the purpose of e-portfolios in learner development. Each of
these articles shows a different aspect of student assessment using e-
portfolios.

Source Rankings:
1. Beckers, Dolmans, van Merrienboer I ranked this article as #1
because these authors provided a comprehensive summation of the
main factors that contribute to the development of an e-portfolio. In
this article the notion of learner development is explored as the writers
discuss the types of portfolios. This article was very well written and
provided data from several reputable sources.
2. Or Kan This article provided readers with valuable insight into the use
of e-portfolios in a K-12 school. The authors were able to provide
insight into the benefits and drawbacks of the online portfolio tool.
Although the writing was a little weak, the authors make a strong case
for the use of e-portfolios as a teaching and learning tool.
3. Zawacki-Richter, Hanft, & Baecker Although this article delved deep
into the use of e-portfolios as assessment tools, the message became
lost among the data. The conclusion of this article was weak in that the
results of their case study seemed to state the obvious, while the
authors admitted that they were not able to draw any deeper
conclusions based on their research.

The Beckers, Dolmans, van Merrienboer article was the strongest of the three
in discussing the benefits of e-portfolios in teaching and learning. Although
this article is already posted in the course as a required reading, I would
recommend retaining it for future use as it provides valuable information
from thousands of sources about learner development and assessment.

1.3 Library Support Services in Distance Education

Corbett, A., & Brown, A. (2015). The roles that librarians and libraries play in
distance education settings. Online Journal of Distance Learning
Administration, 18(2).

The role of the library and the librarian have changed in the current
landscape of distance education. In current online programs, the online
library is often the only library service that students have access to.
The role of the librarian now encompasses the many digital tools and
resources used by students and staff at the institution. Current
guidelines now cite the need for librarians to evolve and focus more on
 digital media. Many challenges will be faced, including funding,
training, and access to these services.

Mears, W., & Clough, H. (2015). Online library accessibility support: A case
study within the Open University library. Open Learning,30(1), 73-85.

Library support services at the Open University in UK cover a range of

services including disability services for students with impairments.
The Special Needs Development Group (SNDG) is a subsidiary of OUs
library services. Beginning in 2011 the authors examine the disability
support services offered by the online library system for a specific
history course and the unique challenges it represented. With an
abundance of course work being completed online many new
challenges arose for students with disabilities. Recommendations for
improvement include streamlined communication processes, platform
testing for accessibility, and technical development feedback.

Needham, G., Nurse, R., Parker, J., Scantlebury, N., & Dick, S. (2013). Can an
excellent distance learning library service support student retention and
how can we find out?. Open Learning, 28(2), 135-140.

The library services team at the UKs Open University is modifying its
system to be more compatible with the digital environment for
distance education students. In order to retain government funding the
library system must prove its value in the university. Offering services
that embed information literacy content into the curriculum help make
the library services system invaluable to the university. The authors
conclude by asserting that library services are an essential component
in the selection and retention process for university students.

The criteria used in selecting these articles was as follows:

Full-text, peer reviewed, from a scholarly journal
Relating to library services in an online institution
Provides specific details about library services
Provides evidence/examples of library support services
Gives recommendations for the future of library support services
Well-written, current, and organized

The Corbett article is listed as a required reading for OMDE 608 while the
Mears and Needham articles were found in a UMUC library search using the
keywords library support and distance education. Each of these three
articles focused on library support services for distance education
institutions, although each took a slightly different approach. The Corbett
article examined the role of the librarian in an e-learning environment. The
Mears article specifically looked at how library support services can assist
students with disabilities. The Needham article searched for answers as to
how online library services can effect student recruitment and retention. All
three articles were very well written with ample support and anecdotal
evidence to support the authors thesis.

Source Rankings:
1 Mears & Clough I have ranked this article #1 in this category because
the authors provided great insight into how library support services can
be used to assist students with disabilities in a distance education
program. The article was very well written and provided detailed
information from the Open Universitys library system.
2 Corbett & Brown This article examined current practices in online library
support as well as guidelines form several reputable institutions in order
to create a list of guidelines for librarians at distance education
universities. This list of guidelines could be used at most online learning
institutions so as to benefit the students and faculty.
3 Needham, et al. While this article detailed the realities of creating a 21st
century online library system the authors failed to complete their case
study and provide any actual evidence to support their thesis. Future work
from these authors may provide greater insight into the benefits of online
library support, however this article falls short of completing the mission.

I believe that the Mears & Clough article should be added to the OMDE 608
required reading list because it addresses a very important and sensitive
issue about supporting students with disabilities in an online learning
environment. The authors provide ample evidence from their research at the
Open University to support their claims that current library services must
undergo a transformation in order to meet the needs of all students. The
article ends with thoughts for future consideration that current and future
students may be able to develop in more detail over time.