Documents and guidelines for ensuring the quality of online and hybrid teaching

2. Criteria for obtaining an online study permit

According to the ASHE, higher education institutions are required to meet the following prerequisites for issuing a license.

• a formal decision by the competent professional body to launch online studies and the participation of students or external stakeholders in the development of the programme
• strategic commitment to online models and ability for long-term sustainability, including a five-year financial plan for digital infrastructure
• appropriate digital infrastructure, including server capacity, LMS platform, customer services, backup systems and constant 24/7 internet access
• staffing requirements, including teacher competencies for online teaching and student support
• planned pedagogical design and evaluation methods, including interactive teaching methods, transparent evaluation and clear learning outcomes
• transparent enrollment and advancement conditions, including access criteria, recognition of prior learning and required digital prior knowledge
• monitoring and evaluation of the quality of online studies, with monitoring of key indicators (completion rate, dropout rate), feedback and external evaluation
• clear communication and public availability of information about the programme, method of implementation, student rights and teaching methods.

In short, HEI must fulfill additional technical-pedagogical-organisational conditions even if it wants to accredit an existing study programme as one that can be performed online.