OnlineHE_Toolkit

9 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 Environments (VLE), employing strategies that enhance interactivity, to achieve the pedagogical purposes set. This interactivity with the learning content and, generally, the platform provokes experimentation in the learning environment. It can be the basis for self- regulated learning, driven by teachers’ continuous presence and reciprocal communication. Moreover, strategic planning involves catering to students’ individual needs while enhancing metacognition through self-evaluation and reflection. To succeed, a strong pedagogical knowledge is required. This implies the application of differentiated instruction, enhanced interaction among all those involved (e.g., coordinator, staff, students), the flexibility of learning paths, monitoring, and assessment techniques as well as the development of personnel’s skills. Finally, a distinguished program can be assessed through the statistics of enrollment, the dropout rates, the alignment of the academic outcomes to the corresponding levels of the European Qualification Framework, and the profile of the graduates. An ongoing evaluation is complementary to the implementation of any programmes. It is important that monitoring and evaluation techniques are integrated at all levels: e.g., assessing specific activities, courses and whole learning programmes, in terms of the technology, instruction, communication, etc. Evaluation should be multilayered, done internally and externally through official regulatory bodies. Internally, an evaluation process collects data about whether specific criteria for the design, structure, content, and actual delivery of the courses/programmes, via a Learning Management System (LMS), are addressed. We can set the criteria based on national/international guidelines. This way, specific reports can be prepared to identify the degree of deviation from these parameters. To complement this type of evaluation, learners should also have opportunities to express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. A common student-evaluation practice involves the collection of data through anonymous questionnaires, at the end of an academic course or the usage of the learning analytics in the LMS (e.g., participation in the platform, the activities, and assignments, feedback, use of tools and materials, etc.). This helps to improve the infrastructure and the processes, the teaching methods, the resources, the environment, and the educational content, to achieve proper integration of Information and Communication Technologies. Since technology is the backbone of online and distance learning, we should consider the infrastructure that becomes available. The infrastructure, including equipment, software/hardware, devices, needs to be reliable and adequate. We need to ensure that digital access is granted to all participants. Since not all students possess such equipment, stable Internet connection, devices, and tools should be available on-the-spot, at the University premises. For this reason, specific funds should be allocated to the above. In the