Digital baseline
Digital baseline
The digital baseline, developed by PG Medicine, is an easy-to-follow framework that you can use to design and improve the digital learning experience of your students.
Divided into four key areas (content, communication, assessment and quality assurance), the framework builds on accepted good practice from across the digital learning industry.
Structure, design and content
Students will know how to access:
- Learning materials (including self-study materials and session recordings if applicable. These should be presented consistently across the module/domain, with a clear instructional narrative and interactive content if applicable)
- Assessment information
- Programme and module/domain information
This information will include:
- Contact information
- Timetable
- Intended learning outcomes
- Reading list
- Link to college services
- Assessment details
- Assessment submission portals
Communication, collaboration and interaction
- A communication strategy (informing students who to contact for what and how), implemented consistently across modules/domains
- Options for synchronous communication with staff (e.g. office hours or virtual office hours)
- Options for asynchronous communication with staff (e.g. email, discussion boards)
- Options for communication and collaboration with peers (e.g. discussion boards, chats, shared documents)
- Options for presentation of work (if applicable)
Assessment and feedback
- Details of assessments and deadlines (including formatting, referencing etc)
- A mechanism for the consistent provision and return of actionable feedback on assessments
- Online portals for submission of summative work (if applicable)
- Opportunities for self-assessment (e.g. self checks, unassessed quizzes)
- A facility for students to check their own (written) work for plagiarism (if applicable)
- Information on the criteria being used for marking
- Formative assessments to prepare students for their summative assessments
Accessibility and quality assurance
- Comply with accessibility regulations
- Have consistent navigation and nomenclature
- Provide information on any digital tools being used
- Adhere to copyright regulations
- Have a plan for analysing use and evaluating content
- Have a mechanism for students to give feedback on the module/domain
Further guidelines
The version above serves as a simple checklist that can be applied across different programmes. For detailed documentation relating specifically to Postgraduate Medicine please click on the following links:
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