Background

• For the market formation of e-Learning, quality improvement and maintenance of learning contents is indispensable. By the issue of quality, quantitative promotion (efficiency) and appropriate direction (effectiveness) are important.
  
  
• The former, a lot of users of e-Learning contents; teacher, student, content developer, educational/learning designer, and e-Learning system vender, can use these easily, feel attraction in e-Learning contents, and are not put at disadvantages. Therefore it is necessary for the following information to be disclosed, that is, information about content itself (entity), information about each activity on life cycle process for developing e-Learning contents, and information about organizational system for quality management.
  
  
• The latter, e-Learning content provider should promote quality control and management activities. When a problem on quality or a disadvantage for user are occurred, they must do appropriate tackling. Therefore, the information about structure and operation system related to quality control and management, as quality assurance, is needed.
  
  
• About "Quality Assurance" of e-Learning, examination advances to ISO/IEC, CEN ISSS, ASTD, and some Asian countries including Japan. However, ISO/IEC does not reach mutual agreement, and serious discussions are necessary from now on. As Asia through AEN, discussing on a view and a policy of quality assurance about e-Learning is significance.

In the WG4, we are going to gather, arrange, select, and define information of quality assurance for e-Learning contents. In addition, we explicate on definition of quality assurance information in order to agree and understand more each country, and also show a guideline in order to use it in practice.

2003 Activities

• WG establishment / administration
  • Holding / management of a project committee
  • Decision such as a purpose / activity / a role of a project
  • Selection WG4 Chair
  
  
• Research for standard specification
  • A CEN ISSS QA standard
  • An ASTD ECC standard
  • An IMS LD standard
  • A Sloan-C standard
  • Contents indication standard (Japan)
  • Other standard
  
  
• QA activity survey of Asia-Pacific project and cooperation
  • Australia
  • Brunei
  • Philippines
  • Korea
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Vietnam
  • Other countries
  
  
• Discussion of QA information
  • A point of view and policy of QA
  • Attribute or category of QA
  • Element or item of QA
  • Guideline about QA
  
  

• Through email : information exchange and discussion
• In-person meeting: one-day meeting is under consideration (before AEN conference December, 2003)
• Other activities (experimental study, development etc.)

• Research report on existing QA standard specifications
• Research report on QA need in Asia
• Research report on QA information in Asia
• A guideline of QA in Asia: including future issues and suggestions of the cooperation in AEN