A combined study on the factors affecting the quality of the curriculum in the distance education system

The aim of this study was to identify and rank the components affecting the quality of curriculum elements in the distance education system. In this study, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, namely a mixed method, was used in terms of data collection. In this section, the research field was all faculty members of Payam Noor University of Kurdistan Province. The snowball, criterion-based, and purposive sampling methods were used, and the sample size continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and finally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ۱۰ of them. In the quantitative section, the statistical population was considered accessible. The data obtained from the interviews in the qualitative section were used as the basis for a researcher-made questionnaire, which was finally prepared and adjusted in the form of a questionnaire based on the four curriculum elements in the form of ۱۸ items. The validity of the qualitative section was carried out using re-examination by the researcher and in the quantitative section based on the approval of experts. For data analysis in the qualitative section, content analysis was used, and in the quantitative section, the fuzzy Vicor method was used. The results in the qualitative section led to the identification of ۱۸ basic themes in ۴ organizing themes including (objectives, content, teaching methods and evaluation) and finally ۱ comprehensive theme entitled (components affecting the quality of the curriculum in the distance education system). In the quantitative section, the results showed that the components of appropriate formation of educational and behavioral goals based on course topics and immediate feedback of evaluation methods were respectively the most and the least important among the components affecting the quality of the curriculum in this type of educational system in the opinion of experts. Accordingly, it is suggested that those involved in the distance education system pay more attention to the components identified from the findings of this study when setting the curricula of this type of educational system.

کلیدواژه ها:

Curriculum Elements ، Distance Learning System ، Blended learning ، Higher Education