Towards a Reference Model to Ensure the Quality of Massive Open Online Courses and E-Learning

Abstract

The proliferation of Internet has introduced new technological advances into digital education. One of them is the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs are online learning environments offering educational programs to large numbers of geographically dispersed students, free of charge. The rapid development of MOOCs leads to investigate their provided quality of learning, consisting of a combination of factors such as the development life cycle of MOOCs, the quality criteria and the involved members. In view of the above, this paper presents QUMMEL (Quality Model for MOOCs and E-Learning) which is a novel reference model for assessing the quality in e-learning and MOOCs. QUMMEL is a three-dimensional model, being consisted of distinct phases, perspectives and roles. It represents a holistic approach for ensuring quality in either a MOOC or an e-learning environment in terms of pedagogical, technological and strategic perspectives. The evaluation results of applying the QUMMEL in the development of a MOOC are very promising and can offer a fertile ground to foster quality in e-learning.