Researching quality: What does it mean for curriculum and assessment in e-learning environments?

This paper addresses current definitions of quality in curriculum design and examines emerging expectations of what constitutes appropriate benchmarks for online delivery and assessment. While the quality agenda has been embraced by tertiary education institutions and policy makers and research continues to proliferate, many practitioners are seeking quality guidelines that can be applied to the curriculum design in relation to online environments. The last decade has seen the convergence of traditional distance education with on-campus modes of delivery and work-based training signalling new models of flexible delivery. In addition, demand driven education accentuates the learner's role and needs while the teacher has become a manager, mediator and motivator of student learning. Issues raised by national and international bodies and quality assurance agencies now seem to be addressing the same questions.