We have a small team engaged in developing in-house e-learning. We've been looking to obtain accreditation for our work but so far have only found the IITT scheme which currently doesn't really suit our needs. Has anyone in a similar in-house team had any experience with the IITT or can anyone recommend another accreditation body? We're keen to obtain accreditation since we may be in a position to market our products to other companies in future.
gill wood
4 Responses
e-learning accreditation
Hi Gill,
Try speaking to Sam Bonner 0870 2424 223
She is a very aproachable person and should be able to help you.
Or give her an email
sam@askhow2.com
I use her knowledge all the time and she is great!
Douglas King
To Be or Not to Be…
My last organisation adopted the IITT accreditation after a long period of reflection on the worth of such accreditation. For us, as an established provider, we kept hearing from our customers that they weren’t interested in whether we were accredited or not. They knew that our courses were effective, achieved the desired results and that was good enough for them. Even some new customers felt that as they didn’t really understand what the accreditation standards were all about, they weren’t a major purchasing influence. If anything, the more maturer adopters of e-learning know what to look for based on their own experiences.
Perhaps if you are starting out, it’s useful to have a frame of reference to work towards and it could establish some early creditibility.
The point I always bear in mind – and I saw this shared elsewhere on the Web recently – is don’t let the existance of standards get in the way of what you want to achieve. You mentioned that the IITT scheme did not meet your needs, so are on the right lines. Just as important as being able to tick off criteria against a list, is having existing satisfied customers and case studies to back up the value of your current products.
Sources of Accreditation
Dear Gill
All of my company’s training provision is accredited by Universities and Professional bodies (www.rdi.co.uk).
I’d would be pleased to provide you with advice on the most suitable accreditation source for your e-learning product.
Regards
Phil Hallam
Resource Development International Ltd
Another Accreditation
If you are looking for accreditation, you might like to talk to my organisation, the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (http://www.odlqc.org.uk).
We were set up by government back in the 1960s to accredit traditional distance learning, but now accredit all forms of open learning, including e-learning.
Our interests are centred on learner protection and support. We are an accrediting body; we do not offer a consultancy service. But we can offer formal, official endorsement if that is what you want.
David Morley