Benchmarking E-learning

Benchmarking E-learning

Benchmarking is a management tool that has been applied in many areas of business but it is only in 2005-06 that there has been immense growth in its application specifically to university use of educational technology, initially in New Zealand, then in Europe including the UK under the auspices of the Higher Education Academy and most recently spreading to the US. Benchmarking e-learning is now seen in the UK as a key enabler of change in universities - some 40 universities and university-level colleges, around one quarter of all relevant UK institutions, are now starting work on this, with a further 12 having recently completed a pilot exercise.

It is possible to trace some early work on benchmarking e-learning in universities back to 1996 - on dimensions of virtuality in virtual universities - but the first work under the name of benchmarking appears to have been in the 1999-2002 era on the BENVIC project and some specific benchmarking activities in English colleges.