MODEL FOR MEASURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE PROGRAMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This study presents the results of expert judgment assessment of a model to measure the implementation of online programs in higher education. Online education is an innovative approach that has been used worldwide by several universities. The evaluation of the implementation of online education is, generally, focused in technology, content quality, instructor and service quality and learner satisfaction. However, it is weak in the structural and functional aspects of the universities. Therefore, a question needs to be answered: Are the dimensions and components of this model suitable for measuring the implementation of online programs? In order to answer that question, this work follows a descriptive statistical approach and four stages: 1. preparing the questionnaire for model assessment; 2. selecting experts; 3. application of the questionnaire; and 4. analysis of results. This study collected 39 completed responses from experts. The Aiken's V coefficient was used as a measure to quantify the expert agreement. Findings illustrate the importance (88.4%), sufficiency (82%), influence (81.8%) and priority of the model components. As a conclusion, it was found that the dimensions and components of the model are suitable for measuring the implementation of online programs. The expert criterion is an important technique to support models designed from the literature. Limitations, as well as possible research directions, are also discussed.