D.B.A.  Baker College (Michigan), 2022.
Specialization:  Educational technology; Education; Educational administration

Quality in online educational products
122 pages. UMI #: 29065436
Citation, Abstract & Full text in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database

Online educational products have consistently increased in availability since the advent of the internet and the Covid 19 pandemic of 2020-2022. Consistent standards and ways to measure the quality of online products have not emerged with the same speed, and there are few comprehensive ways to measure the quality of education that is provided in an online environment. This impacts students, faculty, and content developers who would benefit from having a shared understanding of what quality in an online product is, how to measure it, and how to improve it. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to research the quality of online educational products in the conceptual context of quality theories of Deming and Juran. It was also to suggest ways to improve the quality of online educational products to benefit students, faculty, and content developers. Key research questions were framed to identify current quality issues in online products, existing standards that could be used to measure quality, and how participants in the study think the quality of online courses should be evaluated. Questionnaires were sent to a purposive sample of 12 candidates from the educational developer population and 12 people from the educational administrator and student population drawn from the researcher’s online professional network community. Results indicated that there are few consistent quality standards in online educational products. Both users and developers identified the importance of including multiple stakeholders in the development of educational products to improve quality. They also highlighted the need for iterative feedback between developers and users when products are created. Recommendations are that the developers of online educational products implement a broad feedback and review process before products launch. Additionally, standard measurements of quality could be initiated. These results can be used by developers and faculty who make decisions about online content to improve the quality of online education.

• Bernice Folz, Ph.D., Chair
• Peggy Houghton, Ph.D.
• Polly Bashore, Ph.D.