Quality Assurance of Multimedia Learning Materials - Version 1.5

Abstract

All education today is marked by a rapid increase in the use of technology across levels, settings and modes. Be it primary, tertiary or higher education; lifelong learning or skill development, in formal or non-formal contexts and indeed whether in a face-to-face setting or in an open and distance learning (ODL) mode, technology informs all aspects. Technology also underpins different aspects of education like content, delivery and management and what separates the best from the rest, undoubtedly is the quality of engagement. When it comes to a quality learning experience, a key contributor is good quality learning materials. Even though technology in terms of the software packages and hardware used to create and deliver learning materials has seen continuous improvements and innovations with corresponding standards of measurement, quality of the content remains an area of concern. There is very little by way of assurance or assessment standards available to teachers, developers or end users that guide or help them determine the quality of the learning materials that are developed and used, especially in terms of its pedagogic value. It is with a view to bridge this gap, that the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) mooted the idea of developing a set of guidelines for Quality Assurance in Multimedia Learning Materials (QAMLM). With encouragement from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and with the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia as a key partner, in the year 2007, CEMCA set in motion a collaborative and eclectic process of developing QAMLM guidelines involving academia, practitioners, professionals, industry and institutions engaged in quality audits. Over two years, a series of discussions and national and international Round Tables were held (See Annexure) finally culminating in the release of QAMLM Version 1.0 in June 2009.