Evaluating accredited online programmes: what to consider before signing up to one

Online education has surged ahead in recent years. Once a relatively rare option dominated by a handful of institutions, it’s now a viable option for undergraduate, postgraduate, further education and continuous professional development (CPD) courses.

But with so many online and blended courses coming to prominence since the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a leap to online and hybrid working and learning, how can a learner ensure that the qualification they get is worth the paper it’s written on?

Irish and EU students are entitled to one subsidised undergraduate degree in their lifetime (given the college registration fee is, in effect, a fee, we’ll dispense with the pretence that there are free third-level fees in Ireland). Beyond this, some might choose to sign up to a postgraduate or CPD course.

But, buyer beware! As with anything you sign up for or buy, it’s important to know your rights as a consumer. You need to be confident that the course you sign up for leads to either a recognised qualification or, where it does not lead to a formal qualification, that it will provide you with the skills you need.

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Padraig Walsh is chief executive of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the State agency responsible for promoting the quality, integrity and reputation of Ireland’s further and higher education system. He says that potential students should always ask about the quality of their course, whether it’s delivered face-to-face, blended or entirely online. QQI validates all three.

“Just like buying any consumer product, a prospective applicant to an online education programme should do their research before they outlay any money. Find out where the college is located, who its accreditor is, and whether that accreditor is recognised by the national authorities in the countries that it operates in.

“If a Course X is being offered by College Y, even doing a simple Google search of ‘Course X College Y bogus’ or ‘Course X College Y scam’ will usually reveal some useful information, where previous applicants have had a bad experience and have written about it,” Walsh says.

Dr Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl is director of micro-credential strategy and innovation, and head of DCU Studio, and she says that learners should ask a number of questions before making their decision:

1. Do I need to demonstrate what I have learned and have it validated because my employer or future employer would seek to have that recognition – ie, is a certificate to show assessed learning which is what ECTS credits and national awards are about?

2. On the other hand, is it okay just to show that I participated in the course or I am doing it for my own development but do not necessarily want or need to formally demonstrate that I learned anything from it?

3. How will my learning be supported on the course: will the academic, teacher be online with me or am I left to my own devices?

4. Like all learning, the role of the teacher/academic/facilitator is important and it is the same for online learning, so if the course is delivered without interactions baked in or called out, I think the learner needs to think about how they will cope with this.

5. Who do you ask and how do you ask if you need some guidance or to interact on a topic?

6. How will I be assessed and can I access the necessary resources to complete the course?

7. Who is providing the course? Are they a recognisable and trustworthy entity in the field?

8. If something goes wrong or I need help who will help or can they?

Accreditation and quality

“If the student is looking at a course offered by an Irish provider, they should check whether the course is listed on the Irish Register of Qualifications (www.IRQ.ie),” says Walsh.

“This database is maintained by QQI and contains all the courses that are included in the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).”

The NFQ is a 10-level framework that describes qualifications in the publicly-funded Irish education system and among a number of independent course providers, including institutions like Griffith College Dublin. It’s a handy guide to how a course is recognised in Ireland, the EU and beyond – but many high-quality CPD courses lie outside the NFQ and will still help someone to develop their skills.

“[The database] will indicate who the provider of the course is and who make the award leading to the qualification,” says Walsh.

“The awarding bodies whose qualifications are listed in the IRQ are the designated awarding bodies, including the universities, the technological universities, the institutes of technology and QQI (which makes the awards for most of the private higher education providers such as Griffith College, Dublin Business School, National College of Ireland and Hibernia College, for instance).

“QQI also makes the awards for Further Education providers such as the 16 education and training boards. These awards include the well-known PLC (post-Leaving Certificate) courses. All of these qualifications are also listed in the IRQ,” Walsh says.

Outside of Ireland, Walsh warns that there are so many “degree or diploma mills offering worthless qualifications, as well as accreditation mills who work in partnership with [them]. Many of these are US-based, but the two reputable bodies that offer accreditation are the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

QQI is currently working with the National Institute for Digital Learning at DCU to develop statutory quality assurance guidelines for providers of programmes supported by digital learning.

Student supports

It’s easy to pop into the students’ union, attend a club or society event or go to student adviser when you’re on campus – but, of course, less so when learning online.

Although many mature or part-time students may not be as interested in the student experience, the former IT Sligo – now a part of Atlantic Technological University (ATU) – and DCU both have long developed expertise in supporting online learners.

Joanne Harmon is head of ATU’s online learning student experience, and she says that the university supports its students from the outset.

“Our online pre-induction resource is sent to students in advance so that they are set up for success before their course begins.

“Online student advisers are also there throughout the student’s learning journey to support with any queries and issues that may arise for them along the way.

“ATU provides a short online study skills programme to help students prepare for learning in a higher education environment [including] an academic writing centre which helps support students in writing and preparation for assignments.

“Those with additional learning needs will be assisted through confidential contact with our access office where they will be supported to achieve throughout their course,” Harmon says.

Nic Giolla Mhichíl says that DCU aims to provide the same range and services as they would for traditional learners.

“We do this within resource constraints and capacity whether it is accessing digital academic resources, or supporting academic writing to the provision of wellbeing services for online learners,” she says.

For learners looking at accredited courses outside ATU and DCU, these are among the types of questions they may like to ask.

Informal CPD courses: valuable educational tools when formal qualifications aren’t an option

Sometimes, you really need the level of depth that a formal qualification offers. But it’s not always essential to do a formal qualification, with all the time, money, exams and assessments that it entails.

Often, someone merely needs to update some of their skills, and there are plenty of ways of doing this:

· E-learning: DigitalCharityLab.org provides training, resources and support to charities and not-for-profits. As well as providing a variety of free and very useful glance sheets and quick skills videos, it also runs a number of very affordable skills-based e-learning courses in digital skills for charities and not-for-profits.

There’s no formal qualification as such, but with a sterling reputation – something a quick Google search can show you – they’re a solid example of the type of online organisation that can help you bring your skills up to speed.

· MOOCs and free online courses: MOOC stands for massive online open courses, and these allow learners to take a full course from a range of universities worldwide. Courses are low-cost or free and include all the major academic disciplines. The certification isn’t the point; learning and upskilling is what matters here. You’ll find a list of them on Mooc-list.com or Coursera.org. Alison.com, meanwhile, is a pioneering, Galway-based company offering 1,000 free courses from providers across the world in nine categories including IT, language, science, health, humanities, business, maths, marketing and lifestyle.

· Online videos and podcasts: A 10-minute YouTube video, an online seminar, a podcast that you can listen to while you learn – these are all free, cheap and will help you learn the information and acquire the skills you need. GoHighbrow.com delivers a free five-minute lesson to your email inbox every morning. KhanAcademy.org, meanwhile, has almost 7,000 free videos and lectures on a wide range of topics for people of all ages. Practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalised learning dashboard form key parts of the platform.

· Books: Going old-school for a moment, there are plenty of books or audiobooks that can help you develop or update a skill. It could be business, graphic design, journalism or media, law, horticulture or indeed any area. Or, if you’re looking for a deeper dive into the world of work and what you want from your career, we highly recommend Total Reset by career psychologist Sinéad Brady, which is also available on audiobook at Audible.com.