UHCL office wins international online education award

November 11, 2016 | Kelsie Cleboski

University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Office of E-Learning Services earned a 2016 Effective Practice Award from the international Online Learning Consortium. The award, presented at the OLC Accelerate Conference in Orlando, recognized the university’s case study, “Pathway to Quality Online Education at University of Houston-Clear Lake,” which was selected through a peer review process.

Executive Director of the Office of Online Programs Shanta Goswami noted that the case study detailed the past eight years of growth in UHCL’s online programs, which have more than tripled to 22 degree programs and certifications. It detailed examples of ways her office has worked with departments across campus to implement online programs and support the university’s mission, including the creation of a rigorous Quality Assurance Program.

“What makes UHCL’s Quality Assurance Program unique is that no fully online course is created without passing the 38-item QA review. The review process draws upon best practices in online teaching and learning. It allows us to grow our online course offerings without compromising the high-quality standards that we have set for our courses and programs,” she said.

More than 774 courses have been reviewed with this process, she said, resulting in positive responses from both students and faculty.

OLC evaluates award candidates based on access, learning effectiveness, faculty satisfaction, student satisfaction and scale. Established in 1992 as a Sloan Foundation Consortium, the OLC evolved into a non-profit professional organization dedicated to advancing quality online learning around the world through professional development, instruction, best practice publications and guidance to educators around the world.

Explore UHCL’s Office of E-Learning Services by visiting www.uhcl.edu/elearning.