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Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education through Multimedia Materials: Validity and Quality*
The number of distance education courses and programs has grown
remarkably in the last few years, particularly those that are
developed online --through the Internet-- and through multimedia
formats, including texts, CD-ROMs, videoconferences, etc. By using
these formats, almost anyone can learn from a domestic or foreign
institution without having to change their place of residence, thereby
facilitating access to both initial and continuing education.
However, in order for this new training tool –created as a result of
modern technology and the adoption of an international or
transnational educational model— to be effective, criteria must be
established to ensure quality so that students are accredited and
recognized for the certificates and diplomas they receive for their
studies. To do so, objective and uniform information regarding the
quality of educational services offered by an institution must be made
available. These are essential requirements for evaluation and
accreditation.
In this context, it must be understood that universal evaluation is
not simply a validation process of one’s own institution, but also
recognition of its scope and limitations, both of which need to be
defined and explained to society. For this reason, the evaluation
process has become a way to make institutions and their processes more
transparent and more responsible for the results obtained. Providing
users with this type of information in a timely manner is the only
mechanism of self-regulation that can facilitate the process of
permanently improving the level of quality, particularly in the
international sphere.
Nonetheless, the problem of validation and the quality of higher
education is more complex, as it requires institutional evaluation as
well as the incorporation of accreditation mechanisms that ratify and
provide credibility to a university from a source that is external and
foreign to their particular interests. For a participant in the
distance education system, this means paying special attention to the
state of evaluation and accreditation of the course of study that one
wishes to take, both in the country of origin and in the country of
residence, because only with that information will one be able to have
reference to the validity and recognition of these studies on a
national level. It should be noted that studies done abroad require
local recognition for their validity and, consequently, for their
public use. On the other hand, users must also be aware of the
validity and recognition of educational offerings of foreign
institutions that have franchising agreements with local institutions,
since in many cases these programs award degrees or certifications
that are only valid in the country of origin.
The national institutions have yet to determine the impact of the use
of the technology on the quality of educational processes in this new
international education system. In order to advance in this regard, it
is recommended that quality be evaluated by using the following
criteria: a) methods (channels), materials (message), and content
(knowledge); b) teachers; c) students; and d) access to information.
In summary, great progress has been made in the area of providing
training opportunities thanks to the incorporation of multimedia
formats. It is now crucial to ensure improved quality of these
opportunities. The quality of education is a dynamic and continual
process that requires strict vigilance in all its components. For this
reason, many governments of the region have implemented, or are in the
process of designing, an evaluation and accreditation policy for
university education. Establishment of an environment of evaluation
and accreditation is crucial for improved articulation and dialogue
between local and international institutions, which will then set in
motion the devices of validation and recognition of titles and
certificates. In this sense we are confident that the activities being
developed by the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development
will help to discover the cooperation mechanisms needed to establish
evaluation and accreditation criteria for all of the countries in the
Hemisphere.
*The ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed are not necessarily of the OAS nor of its member states. The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors.
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