The Factors and Impacts of Large-Scale Digital Content Accreditations

Introduction The rapid advancement of information technology has led to the widespread adoption of educational technology known as e-learning. An increasing number of courses now incorporate digitalized learning materials and an e-learning approach (Jung, Wong, Li, Baigaltugs, & Belawati, 2011; Simelane, 2009). However, there is a difference between online learning and traditional physical classroom learning. For example, e-learning classes lack face-to-face interaction, and the learning materials they use are often designed for self-study. These differences may lead to undesirable learning outcomes (Stewart, Goodson, Miertschin, Norwood, & Ezell, 2013). Thus, it is critical to develop standards for the quality of digital learning materials to enhance learning and teaching. In terms of the development of digital materials, a framework incorporating a sequence of steps including analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) can be used to systematically create high-quality digital material. This model can also be used to certify digital learning materials and select outstanding examples. The mechanism by which digital content gains accreditation should include a variety of standards to ensure that instructional designs meet relevant requirements. The process should also be rigorous, yielding objective, fair, and consistent outcomes (Berta, 2013). Such an accreditation process should meet the following goals: (1) Recognize outstanding and high-quality digital content. (2) Provide criteria for the evaluation of instructional designs and principles to guide instructors and curriculum development. These standards will enable instructors who do not know how to improve their online teaching to adjust their teaching methods and create appropriate digital content (Jung, 2011). (3) Systematically format digital content. Because digital content is usually designed in various formats, it is not easy to share. However, the accreditation process can systematize digital content, thus making it available to other schools and even to the community. This practice can also prevent the development of identical and overlapping materials by different schools. (4) Promote the development of e-learning courses that can be easily implemented in rural areas to overcome problems related to geography and the availability of space (Ehlers, 2012). The process of accrediting e-learning materials can be implemented by the government or by private organizations. Since 2006, the Taiwanese government has accredited e-learning materials using clear standards for online course production and for digital content. During the past decade, this certification process has been recognized by the majority of universities as well as the community in Taiwan. It also has had positive effects on the quality of e-learning. For example, national projects to promote teaching excellence have adopted the accreditation of e-learning as one of the criteria used to evaluate project outcomes. Although the availability of e-learning accreditation has elicited numerous applications for accreditation, these data have not yet been analyzed for research purposes. In terms of accredited digital content, there are 13 datasets with an average of two sets from each year between 2006 and 2014; these data were drawn from 308 courses. The aim of this study was to analyze these data in terms of the following research questions: (a) what are the general findings about and difficulties encountered during the development of digital content? (b) does the success of application for accreditation differ significantly among subject areas? (c) are the various dimensions relevant to e-learning, i.e., teaching content and architecture, the design of teaching material, the use of computer-aided design, the media and interface design of accredited digital content, correlated with accreditation success? and (d) what are the key standards used in determinations of accreditation? …