Linking academic quality to online faculty development and evaluation

Many colleges and universities are initiating or expanding their online degree programs. The shift in course delivery mode requires new approaches to assuring academic quality. To achieve continuous improvement in Information and Communication Technologies (specifically online learning), a research-based training, mentoring, and evaluation system was designed by a faculty team at Park University (USA). This session describes the development and successful use of three different quality assurance methods that can be adapted by institutions with varying resources, enrollments, and training and development needs. We will examine and discuss how efficient and effective systems can produce constructive evaluation and retention of online instructors in addition to desirable outcomes for students and institutions.