Benchmarking e-learning

Benchmarking THE BENCHMARK EDUCATION has taken the initiative to launch IT & Management programmes with specially designed syllabi and curriculum covering various aspects like computer applications, software developments, hardware technology, networking, web designing, bio-informatics, e-commerce, etc., The study programmes include not only class-room instructions but also hands to training on latest equipment’s and software's, under the guidance of experts.

It is possible to trace some early work on benchmarking e-learning in universities back to 1996 - on dimensions of virtuality in virtual universities - but the first work under the name of benchmarking appears to have been in the 1999-2002 era on the BENVIC project and some specific benchmarking activities in English colleges.

In addition to the above remarks, for a more general history of e-learning including key dates of benchmarking e-learning events see the History of virtual learning environments.

ACODE is the eponymously named benchmarking scheme under development by the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and E-Learning. It is a criterion-based system where criteria (divided into eight main benchmark areas) are scored on a 1-5 scale with the help of scoring statements. It takes a relatively wide view of e-learning, ensuring linkage with general learning and teaching, with IT and with staff development processes. The use of the word "alignment" in several criterion scoring statements suggests that it has been affected by the MIT90s approach described elsewhere in this article. Development of this started in 2004 as a pilot project. The scheme is now available in draft form while it awaits final external peer review.

BENVIC is a methodology for benchmarking e-learning developed under an EU project, also called BENVIC (in full, Benchmarking of Virtual Campuses) in the era 1999-2001. There is a project web site still at http://www.benvic.odl.org/ – but it has not been updated since February 2002. The BENVIC consortium was led by UOC, the Open University of Catalonia and had a strong set of partners (including University College London in the UK). However, for various reasons including retirement of key staff the work does not seem to have continued – or least web searches indicate that follow-up work is not evident.

The BENVIC system has eight core meta-indicators. These are: Learner Services, Learning Delivery, Learning Development, Teaching Capability, Evaluation, Accessibility, Technical Capability, and Institutional Capability. Each of these eight meta-indicators is associated with a range of assessment measurements (indicators) which enables BENVIC users to carry out an initial benchmarking diagnostic. The assessment measurements are of three types: structural measurements, practice measurements, and performance measurements. All of them, with the exception of Accessibility, are the kind of top-level groupings that one finds in other methodologies. UK readers should also note that Accessibility does not mean only the narrow sense of SENDA but also covers many aspects of Widening Participation.

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