Benchmarking E-learning - E-xcellence

E-xcellence

E-xcellence (pronounced “E-excellence”) is an EU-funded project run by EADTU (the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) with the assistance of 12 other partners. It has a project web site at http://www.eadtu.nl/e%2Dxcellence/.

E-xcellence started in January 2005 and is due to conclude in November 2006, with a major launch at the EADTU conference in Tallinn, Estonia, 23–24 November 2006. Originally E-xcellence was not envisaged as a benchmarking methodology but as a quality monitoring tool, but at arbout a year into the project there was a shift in emphasis and benchmarking is now one of the aims envisaged for E-xcellence. In fact there are three orientations of the methodology:

• Assessment tool (at both institutional and programme level) (i.e. benchmarking)
• Quality improvement tool (internal quality care system)
• Accreditation tool for accreditation

Expected outcomes include:

• List of criteria for "good" e-learning (i.e. setting standards of excellence and indicators for validation)
• Manual on good practices (a web-based guide)
• Quality assurance system (internal validation based on the standard of excellence)
• Reports on pilots which will test the validation approach
• Establishment and training of a visitation team both for quality assurance and for accreditation (to be seen as distinct procedures)

There is little public information so far but it is believed that the basis of the E-xcellence benchmarking methodology is as follows:

1. Based on criteria, with (at the time of writing) 20 threshold criteria and a further 30 excellence criteria
2. Each criterion is a bundle of indicators
3. Criteria are not yet scored, but this may be added by the time of the final release
4. The threshold" level can be determined by a self-audit, but the "excellence" level requires in addition a visit from an expert team.