The E-learning Curve at Edublogs

After yesterday’s short digression into some of the finer points of heuristic evaluation, today I’m returning to the matter at hand: an assessment of the features and functionality provided by the authorSTREAM and SlideShare hosted presentation distribution services.
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authorSTREAM is a web-based PowerPoint presentation sharing platform from authorGEN Technologies. After creating a [...]

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Over the last couple of days I’ve been looking at the presentation-sharing channels authorSTREAM and SlideShare and how these two services enable the delivery of content via the Web. Both services rely on common read/write Web design and interaction patterns; like many other social sharing services, users are able to add tags, rate, comment, and [...]

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During this series of posts on evaluating non-formal learning programs, I have mentioned carrying out an e-learning readiness survey without characterizing or discussing how to implement such a research instrument.
This was deliberate; in my view e-learning readiness surveys represent an alpha and an omega of evaluation: on one level they are the starting point for [...]

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To support the qualitative data captured using the retrospective pre-test method, I recommend that you gather significant amount of quantitative data associated with the learning initiative or program you’re evaluating.
This can seem daunting and difficult to achieve, but there are a range of accessible sources of quantitative data that every learning professional can use.
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In my last posting on this topic, we discussed Kirkpatrick’s guidelines for evaluating training programs (see Table 1).
Table 1 Guidelines for evaluating learning

Guidelines for evaluating learning

Use a control group if practical

Evaluate knowledge skills and/or attitudes both before and [...]

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The Retrospective Pre-test method is an interesting if controversial data collection design. I will examine its advantages and negative aspects here, as well as an argument for including this strategy in in assessing organisational learning initiatives. The retrospective pre-test method (see Table 1 is an extension of the one-shot case study design where data are [...]

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As I asserted in a previous post, case studies allow naturalistic methods of enquiry such as individual interviews to be carried out, side-by-side with quantitative data gathering from surveys, archival records, server access logs and so on.
Interestingly in discussing the flexibility of the case study design, Yin (1994, p.285) contends that in the future, researchers [...]

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In a previous blog entry, I mentioned the importance of data triangulation, particularly if you use a case study approach when evaluating an e-learning initiative. Another strategy I recommend is to collect data over a number of phases, using a number of techniques.
Case studies involve in-depth, descriptive data collection and analysis of a case, or [...]

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In the context of evaluating e-learning programs, the logic model is useful for identifying elements of the programme that are most likely to yield useful evaluation data, and to identify an appropriate sequence for collecting data and measuring learning. In this way, the programme logic model can help you develop a research design, and provide [...]

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