📋 Document Information

Document Version	1.0
Responsibility	Leadership Team
Review Cycle	Yearly
Next Review	This policy is due for review upon publication of updated QQI QA guidelines in 2025/2026

Record of Revisions¶

Version	Date	Description	Approved by
1.0	May 2025	Initial Version	AB

Online Learning Strategy & Governance

1. Introduction and Purpose:¶

This strategy defines The Open College’s institutional direction for online learning. It sets the parameters for growth, outlines the supports and constraints that shape our provision, and aligns development with the student-centred ethos of our Strategic Plan (2024–2026).

It sits above the College’s Online Learning Framework, which details how programmes are designed and delivered for online provision. While the framework guides programme teams in practice, this strategy sets the broader institutional vision, limits, and commitments.

2. Defining Online Learning:¶

At The Open College, online learning refers to any QQI-accredited programme delivered in whole via online methods. Namely, fully online programmes delivered through a combination of Moodle, BigBlueButton, or Microsoft Teams with a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous student engagement.

We treat online provision as a distinct pedagogical model. It is not a digital translation of blended or in-person content but a purposeful design approach with its own strengths, structures, and challenges.

3. Scope and Limitations:¶

We will expand online and blended offerings where:

Online delivery improves access and supports learner success.
The subject matter suits remote delivery and assessment.
Quality can be upheld with current infrastructure and staff expertise.

We will not offer fully online provision where:

Practical or in-person elements are essential and cannot be replicated.
Professional or regulatory standards require in-person delivery.
Available tutor capacity or learner support falls short of needs.

This measured approach safeguards quality and ensures that learner needs remain central.

4. Strategic Commitments:¶

4.1 Flexible Access with High Expectations¶

We recognise the demand for flexibility, particularly from adult learners balancing work or family. However, we pair flexibility with structure - emphasising weekly pacing, live engagement, and strong tutor presence.

4.2 Planned, Sustainable Growth¶

We will only grow online provision where:

There is clear learner and labour market demand.
Qualified tutors and reliable systems are in place.
Assessments are suited to online environments.

All new provision undergoes annual QA review.

4.3 Staff Capability and Support¶

We are committed to:

Ongoing training in online pedagogy – with a particular ethos of producing and maintaining bespoke training content that embodies our teaching philosophy (detailed in our online learning framework).
Dedicated support from the Education Technologist.
Internal guides, CPD, and peer collaboration to share good practice.

We view high-quality online teaching as a professional skill and support staff accordingly.

4.4 Infrastructure and Investment¶

We maintain a robust, integrated online environment, centred around:

Moodle as our virtual learning environment.
BigBlueButton and Teams for live classes.
Secure systems for storage, backup, and analytics.

New tools are vetted for simplicity, accessibility, and pedagogical value before adoption.

5. Quality and Governance:¶

5.1 Internal QA¶

Our QA Manual includes specific procedures for:

Approval and validation of programmes
Course design reviews
Monitoring tutor presence, assessment integrity, and learner participation
Collecting and analysing feedback

All online programmes must align with the Online Learning Framework and demonstrate structured, inclusive, and accessible design – where this is deemed to not be the case, plans to address and align are mandatory.

5.2 Roles and Responsibilities¶

Leadership and accountability for online learning are shared across key roles to ensure consistency, quality, and pedagogical integrity:

Education Technologist – Provides specialist support on digital pedagogy, system use, and tool integration. Collaborates with programme teams on course design, tutor training, and continuous improvement.
Programme Leads – Hold responsibility for academic delivery, including tutor supervision, alignment with learning outcomes, and ensuring modules meet the standards set in the Online Learning Framework.
Operations Manager – Ensures the infrastructure, scheduling, and staffing required for online delivery are in place. Works with the Education Technologist to support system reliability, tutor availability, and resource planning.
Academic Board – Provides institutional oversight, ensuring all online learning activity aligns with the College’s quality assurance policies. The board monitors the effectiveness of online provision through regular review of learner outcomes, tutor performance, and feedback mechanisms.

These roles work collaboratively to ensure that online programmes are intentionally designed, learner-centred, and consistently delivered to high standards.

6. Benefits and Risks:¶

Benefits:

Greater access for adult and rural learners, and those with caring or work responsibilities.
Opportunities for pedagogical innovation.
Efficient programme delivery and scaling.

Risks:

Lower engagement in majority asynchronous delivery.
Exclusion due to lack of devices or broadband access.
Increased vulnerability to academic misconduct.

Risks are tracked through QA, analytics, and learner feedback, with mitigations embedded into programme design & future validations and institutional planning. Policy reviews in line with the above risk have been triggered to address any potential impact of online provision.