E-Learning Quality Control Framework Studies in Indonesia Higher Education Environment

E-LEARNING QUALITY CONTROL FRAMEWORK STUDIES IN INDONESIA HIGHER EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT Soetam Rizky Wicaksono Ma Chung University Villa Puncak Tidar N-01 Malang East Java, Indonesia [email protected] Abstract The implementation of e-learning in higher education based upon assumption that e-learning can help lecturers improving student learning motivation. However, e-learning that has been running often no longer cared whether it has been able to meet the required needs in instructional learning process. So, it is a must to have quality control which e-learning can be maintained for its quality and keep its innovation for instructional learning process. Research conducted in this paper is devoted to quality control framework on e-learning in the scope of Indonesia’s higher education. This research main cause is the quality control framework of e-learning now diversing, while implementation of e-learning in Indonesia is still in the stages of socialization and existence. So, the existing quality control framework is being reviewed in order to be more appropriate for Indonesia higher education environment generically. The results of this study are expected to be the initial proposal for a framework for quality assurance systems for e-learning in Indonesia higher education. Therefore, in future studies, it can develop new framework of the quality assurance systems of e-learning that can be applied generically. Keywords: e-learning,quality control, higher education INTRODUCTION E-learning usage in higher education environment nowadays is no longer become improvement, since that e-learning has already become need for most university. EDUCAUSE research in 2011, has announced report that 99 % from 2500 universities sample from 18 countries has already implemented e-learning (EDUCAUSE, 2012). Thus, it proves that e-learning is really become common thing in higher education. However, misunderstanding concept about e-learning implementation is that most of university focused on course material repository or discussion forum. Thus, many lecturers and also students becoming sceptical about e-learning, and its function merely become obligatory task for them rather than improvement effort for learning process (Al- Shboul & Alsmadi, 2010; Cole, 2009; Burgess, 2003). On the other hand, many students which come from net generation today, admit that using e-learning can leverage their motivation in learning process (Cole, 2009; Finger, Sun, & Jamiesen-Proctor, 2010; Singh, O’Donoghue, & Worton, 2005; Weller, 2002). So, it means that e-learning really need a restrict control in order to keep its function on the righ track. In order to keep the e-learning is in the right track, it will need certain quality control inside it. While e-learning in higher education environment, especially in Indonesia, mostly still in development and implementation stage, its quality control often being ignored. However, without good quality control, e-learning will back to obligatory task rather than learning improvement. This is the main reason why e-learning quality control is important today. 424 || PROSIDING 2016 INOVASI PENDIDIKAN DI ERA BIG DATA DAN ASPEK PSIKOLOGINYA || 425 E-learning quality control has been described by some of researcher, such as from UWS (University of Western Sydney), which mention that e-learning quality depend on its development, supporting staff and advanced standard (Ireland, Correia, & Griffin, 2009). However, quality control standard should be different between each country, and more specific is different between each university. It happened because their e-learning condition are completely different, whether its level or its environment. Thus, this study tries to redescribe e-learning quality control framework in higher education environment, specifically in Indonesia. This study merely focus on initial framework which should be develop further more using empirical research. So, its result based upon literature study rather than survey. Moreover, once again, it should be redevelop using quantitative research in the future. E-LEARNING QUALITY PERSPECTIVE The term of quality, in higher education environment, is defined as conformance to standard or specification (Green, 1994). However, the term of standard is bias and always different based upon the product or services. In education services, standard can be assessed according to need and who the customers are. Thus, quality itself can be relative and value-laden concept and maybe viewed differently by various stakeholders (Jung, 2010). More explicitly, quality in e-learning only described as effort to simply get something up and running (MacDonald & Thompson, 2005). It means that for most institution, having e-learning that can be accessed by students and lecturers are already reflected great effort for them to leverage their learning process. On the other hand, quality in e-learning can be seen from perspective of seven quality dimensions that already empirically surveyed, which are: institutional support, course development, course structure, teaching and learning, student support, faculty support, and evaluation and assessment (Jung, 2010). In that research, some of factors which are considered as important are: (1) national accreditation, (2) interaction, (3) staff support, (4) learner support, and (5) information and publicity online. Those factor are compressed from more than 60 factors which are identified earlier. It means that in term of internal assesment, many students merely concern about how e-learning are published and fulfilling national standard rather than considering its content or its evaluation model. However, in Indonesia higher education, there is still no national accreditation which is specifically targetting e-learning. So, national accreditation factor will be eliminated in framework design later. Second perspective of e-learning quality is seen from four components, which are: (1) instructional design, (2) content reviewed, (3) course delivery which is monitored by staff and lecturer and (4) impact which is measured by feedback and external review (TInker, 2001). This perspective different from previous one, because of its perspective focused on internal view rather than external view. For example, monitoring course 426 || PROSIDING 2016 INOVASI PENDIDIKAN DI ERA BIG DATA DAN ASPEK PSIKOLOGINYA || 427 delivery by staff and lecturer is prefer to be done rather than following external standard such as national accreditation. It also focused on internal impact of e-learning for students and lecturer rather assesing students’ support. Third reviewed perspective of e-learning quality is called DDLM (Demand Driving Learning Model) which emphasize four main components in e-learning quality assurance (MacDonald & Thompson, 2005), which are: (1) structure, which includes pedagogical strategies, learning environment and evaluation, (2) content of e-learning, (3) services, which includes resources, administration and technical support, accessibility and responsiveness, also (4) outcomes that should have lower cost for learner, staff and lecturer. This perspective similar as previous one, since that highlight better for internal view, for example, lower cost for staff and also pedagogical strategy. E-LEARNING QUALITY FRAMEWORK Based upon three different view of e-learning quality, then we should take a look one by one and try to comfort them into what really happened in Indonesia higher education environment nowadays. First of all, since that Indonesia government through Higher Education General Council (DIKTI) has not been created any national standard or accreditation for e-learning, then we can eliminate first factor from first perspective. Still in the first perspective, we can still includes staff and learner support also interaction as quality framework components for e-learning. All of those components are considered as internal factors from e-learning and can affect e-learning performance overall. While the last component from this perspective is information and publicity online, is not necessary in Indonesia higher education. Since that most of Indonesia higher education’s e-learning are still in the stage of inisiation rather than stage of publication. Second perspective which has four components are relevant with e-learning condition in Indonesia. Such as instructional design, which is likely ignored by most lecturer when they entering e-learning. Most of lecturers merely upload their course material or lecture notes’ presentation and let the students downloading them. However, it should have evaluation and also assesment in it as conformance and standard in instructional process. Thus, all the components can be included in quality control framework. Third and last perspective contains four components which are also similar from previous perspective. However, last component from this perspective has different point of view which mentioned about lower cost for e-learning outcomes. This last component is very interesting, since that most of e-learning implementation in Indonesia still considered as expensive plan for most higher education environment, while just a little amount of university consider it as cheap and easy. So, this last component definitely become one of important factor in quality framework. After reviewing all of the perspective, we can have a simple fishbone diagram in order to justify our first attempt in quality framework proposal. The diagram shown in figure 1. 426 || PROSIDING 2016 INOVASI PENDIDIKAN DI ERA BIG DATA DAN

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