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Quality Framework

Effective Practices

Download the Synthesis of Sloan-C Effective Practices in Adobe PDF (244KB) format. The synthesis covers those effective practices submitted by members that have been reviewed, approved, and listed in the Sloan-C Effective Practices online collection. The document includes links to both the provider institutions and to the full-length effective practice posting in the collection.

The Sloan-C principles, known as the pillars or elements of quality, parallel the familiar principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI), using metrics to improve products and processes. In higher education, the quality goal is scalability to achieve capacity and breadth through attention to learning effectiveness, access and affordability for learners and providers, and faculty and student satisfaction. These elements are interdependent. You are welcome to use the effective practices collected here and to contribute to them. The Quality Framework presented in brief on these pages, is a work in progress. Sloan-C members are welcome to contribute to a taxonomy of the framework that will support special interest groups and knowledge sharing.

• Innovation—the practice is inventive or original
• Replicability—the practice can be implemented in a variety of learning environments
• Potential impact—the practice would advance the field if many adopted it
• Supporting documentation—the practice is supported with evidence of effectiveness
• Scope—the practice explains its relationship with other quality elements

Effective practices are automatically eligible for nomination. Each year, Effective Practices Editors select outstanding practices for consideration by an awards selection committee. Selection committee members are unaffiliated with the nominated institutions.

Sloan-C Report to the Nation
The Sloan Consortium has issued a report to the nation "Five Pillars of Quality Online Education." The report was based on a Sloan-C invitation-only workshop, where more than 40 leading online educators gathered in Lake George, NY in September 2002.