“The Application of the Iron Triangle Model to Enhancing the Quality of Online Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic”

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Kharazmi University, like other campus universities, is teaching some courses at a distance. Universities, like Payame Noor University, that already do distance teaching at scale, are under new pressures as the pandemic makes access to education more difficult. Moreover, all higher education institutions will likely continue to offer some online and distance (ODL) programmes in future. The fundamental aims for education systems are to expand access, improve quality and lower costs. These three vectors of access, quality and cost can be represented as a triangle: but it is an ‘iron’ triangle. With conventional methods of classroom teaching it is impossible to expand the triangle and pursue these three aims simultaneously. However, using technology does make this possible. Cost-effective education of quality can be offered without exclusiveness. This paper presents guiding principles to help institutions offer ODL of quality to large numbers of students at low cost. Good education requires students to engage in a mixture of independent and interactive learning activities. Using technology enables institutions to offer a blend of synchronous and asynchronous experiences that meet these needs while keeping costs down. The three key components of distance and online education: learning materials, student support and administration can be represented as a three-legged stool. Each leg must be strong to support the student in successful learning.