E-Learning Seal of Approval

Training & Development, Jan, 2001 by Donna J. Abernathy

Institutional or program accreditation are handy gauges of the quality of virtual college courses, but what about off-the-shelf WBT? Shouldn't that also bear some seal of quality?

According to ASTD director of education Anne Blouin, "The online training market has grown exponentially during the past few years, and so have the number of products and services. The wide variation in the quality of online courseware has prompted our members and customers to ask for standards to assess the effectiveness of Web-based courses objectively. Similarly, training suppliers are interested in letting customers know how their product performs in relation to the competition."

According to Blouin, ASTD is developing standards for certifying e-learning courseware. The new certification program will evaluate the instructional design, usability, and content of off-the-shelf and customized asynchronous Web-based and multimedia courses. Program rollout is slated for summer 2001.