Abstract:

Based on efficiency considerations of the production of online courses and the implementation of e-learning support structures, the University of Frankfurt has developed a procedure named AKUE (AKUE stands for the German words of the phases Analysis, Conception, Implementation, and Evaluation). AKUE addresses a problem many e-learning experts have: e-learning course development often is cost intensive and needs proper planning to be successful. Moreover organisational decisions such as installing an e-learning center need proper planning. AKUE first of all differentiates the level on which e-learning is supposed to be implemented. Are outcomes, benefits and costs located on the same level? Can economies of scale be realised by moving a support unit to a higher, more centralised level of the organisation? Especially in less top-down managed universities certain faculties tend to run their own learning management system. Economic considerations can help to install support units at an appropriate level. Since such changes often foster resistance, AKUE also addresses positions, attitudes and values. It therefore accompanies and initiates an organisational development process.

In the phase one, analysis, AKUE looks at the level on which e-learning is supposed to be implemented. Which type of change is needed, what are the objectives, what measures are most appropriate and what are the intended outcomes? It takes into account the general conditions and main parameters for change as well as limiting constraints. In the second step, ‘conception phase’, AKUE plans with the necessary next steps: A time schedule is defined with mile stones and defined outcomes. Since exact cost controlling with economic balancing is so difficult for e-learning projects (e.g. benefits can be quantified only with difficulties) at least effectiveness can be measured on each level. For this, specific targets need to be defined in advance, which allow to monitor the implementation. Appropriate measures can be teacher trainings to build up e-teaching and tutoring competencies, the development of online courses and material such as animations, quizzes, simulations and so on. For the production of e-learning content and courses AKUE provides standard guidelines and templates for the steps draft, final concept and script. For animations and simulations specially adapted scripts are applied. On a more organisational level the conception phase focuses on e-learning support structures such as creating e-learning centers, the technical infrastructure or building up a network within an institution.

In the implementation phase all those previously planed measures are put in place. In this phase, programmers transfer scripts into courses material, trainings take place and so on.

The last phase, the evaluation, starts long before: already during the conception quality outlines are defined and standards applied. In each phase quality assurance takes place: before a raw concept is transferred into a detailed concept or later into a script, customers verify the course concept or other outputs. The final evaluation takes place when courses are implemented and users are observed, interviewed or queried by questionnaires.

Finally the paper addresses the distribution of the work load and different scenarios for cooperation e-learning experts and customers at each stage and presents examples for those different cooperation models.

Keywords:

efficiency, effectiveness, procedure model, e-learning.