Using Continuous Improvement to Enhance an Online Course

Assessment is becoming important from many different perspectives. Universities are planning, developing, and testing various assessment models to satisfy stakeholders. Many accrediting agencies are also requiring assessment plans and their implementation from universities for reaccreditation. This article describes how assessment was used to continuously improve a database course in a Web MBA program, and combines Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle with Bloom's taxonomy to develop rubrics for problem solving learning objectives in an online course. Results from direct and indirect measurements are used to improve the course. Specifically, two semester results are compared for course assessment. Results show some improvement; however, the course requires continuous improvement to meet benchmarks. The model presented here is generic in nature and should be useful for all educators who plan to initiate or continue the assessment and continuous improvement process. Instead of reinventing the wheel, educators can learn from our experiences and use the results as a starting point for their own assessment programs.

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