A Cloud-based Framework for Quality Assurance and Enhancement as a Service (QAEaaS) for Universities with Blended Learning Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24203/ijcit.v11i3.228Keywords:
blended learning, cloud computing, higher education, quality assurance and enhancementAbstract
The dynamic and multi-dimensional quality assurance process for Saudi higher education institutes under the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) demands an integrated framework for management and support of internal quality reviews and evidence-based self -studies in a cost-effective way. Due to cross-institutional involvement, quality assurance compliance with NCAAA standards is even more challenging for institutes offering courses with blended learning paradigm in multiple campuses. This papers proposes a Cloud-based framework to realize Quality Assurance and Enhancement as a Service (QAEaaS) to facilitate the internal quality reviews by providing efficient data management and effective communication for different stakeholders. Architecture of the proposed framework is described with respective features to cope with the identified quality assurance challenges and issues faced by the Saudi higher education institutes.
References
Al-Harbi, K. A.-S, E-learning in the saudi tertiary education: Potential and challenges. Applied Computing and Informatics, 9(1):31–46, 2011.
Al-Senaidi, S., Lin, L., and Poirot, J. (2009). Barriers to adopting technology for teaching and learning in oman. Computers Education, 53(3):575– 590.
Alammary, A., Sheard, J., and Carbone, A. (2014). Blended learning in higher education: Three different design approaches. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 30(4).
Alebaikan, R. and Troudi, S. (2010). Blended learning in saudi universities: challenges and perspectives. ALT-J, 18(1):49–59.
Alebaikan, R. and Troudi, S. (2010). Online discussion in blended courses at saudi universities. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2):507–514.
Alqarni, A. A. (2015). Educational technology in saudi arabia: A historical overview. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 3(8):62–69.
B. Means, Y. Toyama. R. Murphy, M. B. K. J. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Technical report, Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C, USA.
Bakhshinategh, B., Zaiane, O. R., ElAtia, S., and Ipperciel, D. (2018). Educational data mining applications and tasks: A survey of the last 10 years. Education and Information Technologies, 23(1):537–553.
Dong, T., Ma, Y., and Liu, L. (2012). The application of cloud computing in universities’ education information resources management. In Zhu, R. and Ma, Y., editors, Information Engineering and Applications, pages 938–945, London. Springer London.
Eckerson W. W (2012). What Are Performance Dashboards, chapter 1, pages 3–22. John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
Ercan, T. (2010). Effective use of cloud computing in educational institutions. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2):938–942. Innovation and Creativity in Education.
James, C. and Weber, J. (2016). Chapter 7 - cloud computing in education. In Vance, T. C., Merati, N., Yang, C., and Yuan, M., editors, Cloud Computing in Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, pages 107–119. Academic Press.
Laster, S., O. G. P. A. G. . S. S. (2005). Redefining blended learning. In Presentation at the 2005 Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning.
Luan, J. (2002). Data mining and its applications in higher education. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2002(113):17–36.
Mayadas, F. and Picciano, A. (2019). Blended learning and localness: The means and the end. Online Learning, 11(1).
NCAAA Part 1 (2015). Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in saudi arabia.
NCAAA Part 2 (2015). Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in saudi arabia.
NCAAA Part 3 (2015). Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in saudi arabia.
OECD (2010). Inspired by Technology, Driven by Pedagogy.
Owston, R. (2013). Blended learning policy and implementation: Introduction to the special issue. The Internet and Higher Education, 18:1– 3. Blended Learning in Higher Education: Policy and Implementation Issues.
Pen˜a-Ayala, A. (2014). Educational data mining: A survey and a data mining-based analysis of recent works. Expert Systems with Applications, 41(4, Part 1):1432–1462.
Porter, W. W. and Graham, C. R. (2016). Institutional drivers and barriers to faculty adoption of blended learning in higher education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(4):748– 762.
Robert, B. (2001). Education and Economic Growth. J.F. Helliwell, OECD Publishing, Paris.
S. Hadzhikoleva, E. H. (2016). Qaheaas or quality assurance in higher education as a service. TEM Journal, 5(3):363–370.
SEU (2021). Saudi Electronic University. https:// www.seu.edu.sa. (accessed on August 06, 2020).
Sharpe, R., Benfield, G., Roberts, G., and Francis (2006). The undergraduate experience of blended e-learning: a review of uk literature and practice.
Thomas Erl, Ricardo Puttini, Z. M. (2013). Cloud Computing: Concepts, Technology Architecture, 1st edition. Pearson.
Vision 2030 (2021). Vision 2030. http:// vision2030.gov.sa/en/node/237. (accessed on August 06, 2020).
Yanosky, R. (2009). Institutional data management in higher education. Technical report, EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, Colorado, USA.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Ehsan Ahmad, Ali Alammary
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The articles published in International Journal of Computer and Information Technology (IJCIT) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
