Assignment 3 – Additonal Work
Module 3: Additional Work – Option 2
This particular evaluation questions are constructed for future intended online courses. It provides general questions covering every aspect of online learning, also to assist in determining the quality and effectiveness of online courses. Although they were developed to assist educators in evaluating the effectiveness of online courses, they may also be used as guidelines for course developers. It identifies specific course components, qualities, or procedures proven to be helpful to learners and/or instructors.
The evaluations question are divided into general heading (in bold), such as
General information - At the beginning of the course, are learners provided with general information that will assist
Accessibility – Has the instructor ensured that the infrastructure and server can handle the number of learners enrolled in the course?
Organization -The organization of components is consistent throughout the course. For example, each module may have the following sections: introduction, objectives, pretest, directions, and explanatory text including learning activities such as case studies, suggested answers for learning activities and links to additional information, module summary, self-test, self-test answers, references, additional readings, and module assignment.
Language - The level of the language used appropriate for the intended audience
Layout - Does the layout facilitate learning? Is the material attractive and appropriate for the course content and the intended audience? Note that it may be impossible to design a page that is displayed in the same manner on every computer screen; if the equipment and software available to the learners are unknown, a simple layout is best.
Goals and Objectives - Are goals and objectives provided to outline learning expectations at the beginning of the course and, where appropriate, at the beginning of each module? If you are using a constructivist approach, you may ask your learners to select their own goals, objectives, content, learning strategies, resources, and evaluation scheme.
Course Content -Is the content appropriate, given the subject matter and the learners’ backgrounds and abilities? If you are using a constructivist approach to your online course, you may want to substitute the term “learning experiences” for the word ”content” below.
Instructional or Learning Strategies and Opportunities for Practice and Transfer - Do the instructional or learning strategies enable learners to learn effectively in a variety of ways and to engage in activities that promote practice and the transfer of skills?
Learning Resources -Are the learning resources accessible, appropriate, and accurate?
Evaluation – Are the evaluative activities feasible, relevant, accurate, and congruent with the objectives, content, and practical applications of the content?
These are the areas and issues addressed for evaluating an on-line e-learning course. Online learning is the latest trend in education. Its success will depend on the quality of its instructional design and the academic and technical support provided to learners and instructors.
The evaluation questions was developed by looking at criteria from the Benchmarking of Virtual Campus (BENVIC), from the Instructional Media and Design department at Grant MacEwan College, and also from the guidelines describe from the National Education Association’s guide to online High School Courses. By combining these sources, it raise and covers main areas such as; Learner Services, Learning Delivery, Learning Development, Teaching Capability, valuation, Accessibility, Technical Capability and Institutional Capability.
Reference:
- Eschenlohr.E. 2004, Handbook of Best Practices for the Evaluation of E-learning Effectiveness, Qual E-Learning Project, viewed 7 November 2007,
<http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=handbook+of+best+practice+of+e learning&btnG=Google+Search&meta> or <http://www.benvic.odl.org/>
- PhD Wright, C. R., Criteria for Evaluating the Quality of Online Courses, Instructional Media and Design department at Grant MacEwan College viewed 3 November 2007.
http://www.imd.macewan.ca/imd/content.php?contentid=36
- National Education Association’s guide to online High School Courses, viewed 3 November 2007
<http://www.nea.org/technology/onlinecourseguide.html>
