Certification Vs Evaluation of Quality in E-Learning

The issue of quality in Distance Learning is one of the most debated topics at an international level, from the point of view both of research and regulations. In fact, elearning requires innovative approaches and changes in the university system, and this transformation must be guided by specific rules in order to guarantee high standards of educational quality. During the last few years, in ltaly the number of on line courses at university has grown rapidly, highlighting the problems of their certification and, above all, of their quality. In ltaly a decree issued by the Ministry of Instruction, University, and Research in 2003, tried to set out some guidelines concerning some technological and methodological criteria which on line courses should follow. Similar initiatives have been activated in other contexts (e.g. in continuous distance learning courses in medicine) stressing different aspects of e-learning processes and highlighting the complexity of the topic. Besides, in a study carried out by our lnstitute we observed the perception of quality that students have concerning university on line courses. In this paper we compare the different perspectives, highlighting the main differences found.