To be effective, quality assurance – regardless of mode – should be premised on shared standards, appropriate training, and adequate resources. A holistic conversation about academic integrity should be framed through the entire university ecosystem, not just student behavior. One way to have this conversation is through the lens of a Big Q small q quality taxonomy. The application of this taxonomy enables regulatory and university standards to be achieved across purpose, context, and stakeholders. In this chapter, I use a Big Q small q taxonomy to show how academic quality, standards, and integrity are achieved in the context of online learning. Using TEQSA as a case study, this chapter illustrates how the regulator used five unique approaches to assuring online learning and the integrity of higher education programs: (1) modeling an end-to-end quality assurance approach; (2) social networking and ongoing communication between the regulator, university program providers, and students; (3) supporting the sector through disruption; (4) evaluating the sector-wide online student experience; and (5) facilitating sector-wide capability in online learning. These approaches are illustrative of how universal government standards for higher education are applied and achieved across the online context.
CITATION STYLE
Gilmore, D. (2024). “Big Q” and “Small q” Quality: A Taxonomy for Assuring Academic Quality, Standards, and Integrity in Online Learning. In Springer International Handbooks of Education (Vol. Part F2304, pp. 1063–1079). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54144-5_179
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