Open ECBCheck

Open ECBCheck stands for Open Certification Standard for E-Learning in Capacity Building. It is a community based and low-cost certification and quality improvement scheme for e-Learning programmes and institutions in international Capacity Building. The objective of Open ECBCheck is to build a quality label for e-learning which serves the needs of the community of CBOs (Community Based Organisations) to improve quality, strengthen recognition and enable individual and organisational learning.

Open ECBCheck is designed for Programmes and Courses and can be used for Distance Learning Programmes in Higher Education. It can both be used as a guideline for development and delivery of courses and programmes and as a certification scheme.

The criteria framework can be adjusted to institution and specific contexts. The ECBCheck Criteria analyse a wide variety of indicators about a programme requiring:

• Information about & organisation of programme
• Target Audience Orientation
• Quality of Content
• Programme/Course Design
• Media Design
• Technology
• Evaluation & Review

Three steps can be distinguished in the process: (1) Become part of an international Community for e-Learning certification; (2) Share tools and experiences, gain access to the complete ECBCheck toolset; and (3) Certification through self-assessment and independent peer-review.

ECBCheck involves organisations into a community of practice for quality development. Experiences, tools and instruments are shared and direct access to the ECBCheck toolset is gained. Peer-reviewers are also drawn from the community, wherever possible. ECBCheck involves a detailed but efficient review process, through a process of remote peer-review and custom-design software tools. The ECBCheck toolset for self-assessment and peer-review is validated through a community of international experts and international organisations in a participative process. The toolset is developed by international capacity building organisations and is adaptable to the latest developments in learning provision. It provides international benchmarks but can be calibrated to different organisations’, countries’, and cultures’ needs.

Open ECBCheck is validated by experts from international organisations. The initiative is supported by: GIZ (former InWENT) - United Nations University – CGIAR - World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) - United Nations Environmental Program - African Virtual University – European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning – GDLN (World Bank Institute) - Namibia Qualifications Authority – UNITAR - SPIDER/ SIDA - IICD,Netherlands - Federal Institute of VET, Germany - European Foundation for Management Development - Hoffmann & Reif Consultants -Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training - The University of the Western Cape - Kenya Institute of Education - University of Santo Tomas, Philippines – University of the Philippines Open University - Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) - Open University of Catalonia - Royal Holloway College - Accreditation Agency for Engineering, Informatics and Natural Sciences (ASIIN) - Commonwealth of Learning - UNESCO-UNIVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

The Open ECBCheck website is at: http://ecbcheck.efquel.org

Status

EFQUEL has recently (2012) taken over the secretariat of ECBCheck. ECBCheck is now part of the EFQUEL quality services, a range of self-assessment and external review services offered to e-Learning and TEL providers. From July 2012 onwards ECBCheck will be partially commercialised. Western organisations will have to pay for the service but for Southern organisations the service will be free, sponsored by EFQUEL and GIZ.