{"id":6937,"date":"2018-02-19T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-19T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=6937"},"modified":"2018-02-19T08:08:29","modified_gmt":"2018-02-19T08:08:29","slug":"quality-assurance-of-mooc-based-curricula-a-project-report-from-kiron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/02\/quality-assurance-of-mooc-based-curricula-a-project-report-from-kiron\/","title":{"rendered":"Quality Assurance of MOOC-based curricula: a project report from Kiron"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kiron\u00a0<\/a>Open Higher Education (gGmbH) is\u00a0a non-profit edtech organization\u00a0that provides access to higher education (HE) for refugees through strategic partnerships with higher education institutions (HEIs) and online education providers. Kiron\u2019s program consists of tailor-made curricula, a digital collaborative platform and support services\u00a0for\u00a0refugees to begin their studies online while they\u00a0prepare\u00a0to apply to a HEI. Our goal\u00a0is\u00a0to provide MOOC-based curricula that\u00a0are\u00a0recognized at partner institutions. A\u00a0key requirement for partner institutions is quality assurance\u00a0(QA), and so in this blog post, we report on the multi-layered QA approach we are developing at Kiron.<\/p>\n

Kiron\u2019s\u00a0academic model<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kiron studies are suitable for learners who are either seeking asylum or do not yet have the required documents to apply to university in their host country. At Kiron we bundle\u00a0massive open\u00a0online courses\u00a0(MOOCs)\u00a0into curricula,\u00a0and deliver them via the virtual\u00a0Kiron Campus\u00a0platform,\u00a0adding live online tutorials. Once learners have met admission requirements, we assist them in applying to an HEI. If accepted, learners may apply for recognition of up to 60 ECTS of completed Kiron coursework, and continue studying offline towards an accredited Bachelor\u2019s degree. \u00a0For more information about Kiron\u2019s Model\u00a0see the Kiron website<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Suter & Rampelt 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Kiron's<\/a>
Kiron’s academic model (reproduced from https:\/\/kiron.ngo\/our-kiron-model\/the-academic-model\/<\/a> with permission)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To enable recognition of credits, HEIs need proof of\u00a0QA\u00a0procedures and the assurance that internationally accepted quality criteria have been applied.\u00a0At Kiron we believe that a strong network of institutions combining their quality processes can enable equivalence of non-formal curricula with traditional quality-assured programmes.<\/p>\n

Layers of\u00a0quality assurance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kiron's<\/a>
Kiron’s network (graphic by Hannes Niedermeier)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Curating MOOCs from different institutions and platforms, and relating them to modules, demands\u00a0rigorous\u00a0coordination. Kiron works as an intermediary between learners and partner institutions as well as the MOOC platforms, facilitating communication to enable the recognition\u00a0of\u00a0MOOC certificates when a learner transfers to an HEI. Our curricula therefore have to abide to high standards, secured by multi-layered QA (see the figure above).<\/p>\n

MOOC-providing institutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kiron mainly uses MOOCs from established HEIs. To date, we have incorporated 233 MOOCs in our curricula. These MOOCs are provided by 52 different accredited HEIs,\u00a0and four other institutions. The non-HEI institution used most in Kiron\u2019s curricula is\u00a0Saylor Academy<\/a>, a nonprofit organisation that curates free and open online resources. Saylor is transparent about its\u00a0QA\u00a0approach, which involves\u00a0review cycles<\/a>\u00a0and an external review of parts of its courses.<\/p>\n

At Kiron we sought information on institutional support for online learning at the HEIs that provide our MOOCs, and found this information for over 91% of the institutions. Support reflects in three, often connected, strategies:<\/p>\n