Athra&Fatma

Evaluation of Online Learning

2009-05-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

A report aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the discussion forum in representing students' performance through teachers' perception has been conducted

See the report at this link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14969828/Evaluation-of-Online-Learning

Evaluation of CAI

2009-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

A checklist instrument developed to evaluate instructional software in two aspects: 1) pedagogical aspect which includes examining the appropriateness of content ,assessment and learning strategies.2) Technical aspect which examine three futures navigation, accessibility and user friendless.

To view the instrument please click on the following link:
http://www.surveyconsole.com/console/TakeSurvey?id=566048

These are other links:
pedagogical aspect
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14955546/Evaluating-Pedagogical-aspect-in-Online-Learning

Tecnical aspect
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14955693/Evaluating-Technical-Aspects-of-online-learning

Comparative and non-comparative evaluation in educational technology

2009-05-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

Part2: Non-comparative Research

Research Title: Learning Styles and Students’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Technology in Higher and Adult Education Classes

The purpose of this non-comparative research was to examine weather the attitudes toward the use of technology of students enrolled in Higher and Adult Education courses at the University of Memphis differ based on their learning style preference. The tow research questions the research sought to answer were: 1) what are students’ attitudes toward the use of technology in HIAD courses? 2) Do attitudes toward the use of technology in HIAD courses differ for Kolb’s four categories of students’ learning styles? . Students enrolled in the Department of Leadership at the University of Memphis were the population from which the participants were chosen. Particularly, all Master and Doctoral students in all graduate courses offered in Higher and Adult (HIAD) education formulate the total participation. Lukow’s Attitude Toward the Use of Technology Survey (ATUTS) was used to measure students attitude toward the use of technology and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) was used to measure the learning styles. Diverging, Assimilating, Converging and Accommodating are the four different learning styles examined by the LSI. The students’ responses to the LSI and the ATUTS then compared and analyzed to determine if a relationship existed between them. Main results drown by the study were: Respondents with “Converging” learning style had the most favorable attitude toward the use of technology and Respondents with a “Diverging” learning style had the lowest attitude toward the use of technology

PowerPoint Presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/comparative-and-noncomparative-evaluation-in-educational-technology-1378507

Comparision Table:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14871166/Comparasion-TableCompartive-Noncomparative-research

Refrences:
Thomas D. Cox,(2008),Learning Styles and Students’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Technology in Higher and Adult Education Classes,Institute for Learning Styles Journal

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Comparative and non-comparative evaluation in educational technology

2009-05-03T02:36:00.000-07:00

Part1: Comparative research

Research Title: Preparing Educators towards Educational Technology:
Empirical Study of Students’ and Educators’ Perception in
Learning Programming Languages

This research was aimed to investigate the students and instructors perception toward learning programming language through the use of e- learning material or traditional classroom (‘chalk & talk’). The sample of this research consisted of 110 first year students and 35 educators who are taking and teaching computer courses at tertiary level from one of Malaysian Higher Institutions. This research used questionnaire which cover two areas: 1- Common Method Used for Learning Programming Language (Self-study through books, Chalk & Talk Computer-based Training, Internet resources, Other media) 2- The Drawback of Learning Methods on Effectiveness, Interesting, Convenience and Cost. This research found that the self-study through book was the current most popular learning method used to learn programming languages (84.5%) and CBT method was used by less than half of the respondents (61.8%). In addition, most of participants prefer the self-study and ‘chalk & talk’ rather than CBT. Theses findings reveal that the combination between self-study and ‘chalk & talk’ is the highest preference among the respondents (84.5% & 78.2%). In the second area of the questioner, the researchers found that the participants perceive that the that classroom teaching is the most effective method compared to the other methods being evaluated (93.6%). In addition to this area, the participants sense that learning Programming languages through CBT is the most interesting while self-study through book is the least interesting (87.3%). In terms of Convenience as the third factor mentioned in the second area of research, the participants think that that learning through self-study is more convenient than other methods and CBT and Internet came as second. In the fourth factor which is cost, most of participants think that the classroom teaching is the most costly method for learning programming language. Finally, the most participants see that that ‘chalk & talk’ is the most preferred method compared to other method.

PowerPoint Presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/comparative-and-noncomparative-evaluation-in-educational-technology-1378507

Comparasion Table:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14871166/Comparasion-TableCompartive-Noncomparative-research

References:
Hussain. H , Jais .j and Abdul Rahman.Z,(2003),Preparing Educators towards Educational Technology:Empirical Study of Students’ and Educators’ Perception inLearning Programming Languages,Informing Science

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Evaluation strategies

2009-05-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Students Ratings of Teaching strategy has been suggested to evaluate computer based instruction provided in a self paced instructional CD format. An evaluation checklist developed by Jen Harvey has been suggested to perform the evaluation process.
The instrument designed to assist teachers on the process of reviewing a new piece of software. It composed of 10 parts. The reviewer teacher asked to stop and review the package at certain points as he goes through.

See the instrument here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14870903/Evaluation-Strategies

Models of evaluation in educational technology

2009-05-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

Project Title: creating annual calendar using Desktop Publishing software
Background:
This project was designed to educate grade eight students in how to use Microsoft Publisher to create their own annual calendar. Many skills and knowledge (general or specific) are required to be as prerequisites for using this program. These are:

General:
Prior knowledge:
1- Knowing the user interface of MS word and its components.
2- Knowing the differences between MS word and MS Publisher soft wares.
Prior Skills:
1- Typing skills.
2- Text coordination skills.
3- Colors coordination skills.

Specific:
Prior knowledge:
1- Knowing the usage of MS Publisher software.
2- Knowing the user interface of MS Publisher software and its components.
3- knowing the features of MS Publisher software
4- Knowing the definition of calendar.
5- Knowing the importance for using calendar.

Goal and Objectives:
By the end of this lesson the Students will be able to:
Goal:
Create an annual calendar.
Enabling objectives:
Open the annual calendar from publisher catalog.
Change the annual calendar start and end date.
Change the annual calendar templates.
Change the annual calendar template colors.
Change the annual calendar fonts styles
Embed the events table.

Evaluation model & instrument: Action Model
The examiners proposed to evaluate the annual calendar project using ACTION model. They should evaluate this project in three main aspects: Accessibility, Interactivity and User friendless and Teaching and Learning. Each aspect contains many questions in which evaluators must follow to insure the applicability of the project in educational context.

Access:
This aspect focus on how the program is accessible for learners in terms of the availability of its required equipments and soft wares and its flexibility in terms of easiness and the availability in (any time, any body and any purpose).
The examiners should evaluate:
Do students have an access to the program CD?
Are the students equipped with the hardware requirements (computer, speakers, ..etc)?
Do students have the supportive software needed to run the program (e.g flash player)?
Is the program easy to run and use?

This aspect will be best evaluated using students’ survey that includes the questions previously mentioned.

Teaching and Learning:
Learning objectives, content relevant with technology, skills and knowledge development and students capabilities are addressed under this aspect. The examiners can cope with these elements by using the following questions:
Do the instructional approach chosen appropriately to meet the students’ needs?
To what extent the program meet the learning objectives?
Is the content will adapted to the technology used?
How successfully the program develops the students required skills and knowledge?
Do the learning materials structured properly to the students’ capabilities?

This aspect should be evaluated by achievement test and observation includes the questions previously mentioned..

Achievement test: should include questions to evaluate students achievements of the program objectives and that shows their attainment of new knowledge and skills.

Observation:
Project examiners can measure this particular aspect by observing the students' works and activities in educational process and then take notes on their observation.

Interactivity and user friendliness
The kind of interaction provided by the technology
Does this technology support student-content interaction?
Does this technology support student-student interaction?
Does this technology support student-teacher interaction?
Does this technology support student-machine interaction?
Does the program easy to navigate and use?
Does the program interface reflect its content?
Is the program instructionally designed?

This aspect should be evaluated by observation, external reviews that include the questions previously mentioned.

Ready made instrument is suggested also to be used to evaluate all the aspects mentioned
This is the instrument link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14954993/Proposed-survey

Powerpoint presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/evaluating-educational-technology-project-using-actions-model

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Levels and techniques of evaluation in educational technology

2009-05-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

Contexts for Evaluating Educational Software

In their research, Jones and others of “Contexts for evaluating educational software” studied the difference between the software evaluation practices in the educational community and (human–computer interaction) community. These differences were examined by looking at usability and learning and by considering the use of a particular framework for CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) evaluation. The Jigsaw evaluation model used by the researchers to measure the usability of software and its effects on learning and to increase the teachers' knowledge about the integration between those two variables. Three main levels were focused by this model. The first level concerned on four tasks: specific learning tasks, general learning tasks, application operational tasks and system operational tasks. Integration within the learning and operational tasks was focused on the second level of the Jigsaw evaluation model. The integration between the learning and operational tasks was represented by the third level of the model. In order to examine the effectiveness and quality CAL development, the researchers conducted a framework that focused on the context, interaction, and attitudes and outcomes. The three domains of the framework focused on three main points: Rationale, Data and Methods. Rationale an example for the Context domain was described in term of the context aims and use. Moreover, there were many methods used to measure the CAL context: Interview CAL designers, course team members, and analyze policy documents. In addition to those methods, researchers depend on Designers and course team’s aims, policy documents and meeting records as supporting data for the context domain evaluation. The evaluation process designed and conducted in an iterative manner ;where the materials tried on students and then refined according to students' feedback and then tried again and the cycle continued for as long as necessary.

Powerpoint Presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/contexts-for-evaluating-educational-software

References:
A. Jones, , E. Scanlon, C. Tosunoglu, E. Morris, S. Ross,
P. Butcher, J. Greenberg.(1999). Contexts for evaluating educational software, Interacting with Computers.

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Evaluation of Educational Technologies

2009-02-18T00:14:00.000-08:00

Part2: Evaluation of Handheld Devices for Mobile Learning

The purpose of this study is to examine the appropriateness of handheld devices for mobile learning in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. A checklist instrument has been chosen as the best method to collect the required study data. This instrument has been developed based on an evaluation framework. This framework contains criteria that presented the handheld devices features required for mobile learning. The features categorized in three areas: 1) Usability, 2) Technical, and 3) Functional.

User interface for example as a one of the features of handheld devices under Usability area evaluated using these criteria: 1) Appropriate and effective layout 2) Simple and easy to use menus, toolbars, buttons etc. 3) Multiple languages 4) Personalization, various versions 5 ) Accommodation, special needs persons consideration. An example for the Technical area that should be focused when we evaluating the appropriateness of handheld devices for the educational use is performance. This part required us to concentrate on the Processor, RAM, Expansion Storage, and Communication technologies when we evaluating the technical aspect of the mobile devices. Communications can be as a part of functional criteria for conducting an evaluation. It can be evaluated in terms of Phone, E-mail, Web, Chat, and Video conference, Fax, SMS, MMS, T.V, and Downloading. This research found that the mobile device is a powerful tool as connectivity and communication technology device. Although it can be considerd as an appropriate tool for conducting the mobile learning, there are still some problems to be solved like the limited screen size and readability, the battery autonomy, and compatibility issues. It will be more beneficial if these devices support LAN connectivity (e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), WAN connectivity (e.g. GPRS, UMTS- Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), Internet connectivity (Web, email, chat, etc.), photo camera, expansion slots for extra memory (Compact Flash, Secure Digital, or Multimedia Card memory cards), play back audio and video files (specially MP3, MPEG4), GPS.

powerpoint presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/evaluation-of-educational-technologies1

References:Economides, A.A. & Nikolaou, N. : Evaluation of handheld devices for learning. International Journal of Engineering Education. Forthcoming

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Evaluation of Educational Technologies

2009-02-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Part1: Educational Technology At Omani Higher Education Institutions

In their research, Almusawi and AlHasmi aim to assess the current status of ET in order to discover the difficulties and develop its utilization in Omani higher education. The main instruments used in this research are two questionnaires and interviews. One of the questionnaires administered to the faculty members’ of Sultan Qaboos University. It consist of four sections:(1) demographics; (2) career development; (3) ability to use technology; and (4) training needs. The second questionnaire administered to the technical/ administrative staff. Its total sections were the same as the faculty members’ questionnaire in addition to a section on quantities, budget, and staff issues. The first and the second sections on both questionnaires were formed of open-ended questions. While all other sections formed using rating scale. The interviews in the other hand were conducted to discover the extent to which the faculty members understand the value of ET in teaching and learning processes and to verify some areas brought up on the issue of the effectiveness of instructional software/equipment use in the faculty members questionnaire.

Powerpoint Presentation:

http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/evaluation-of-educational-technologies2

References:Al Musawi.A, Al Hashmi.H.(2004), Educational Technology At Omani Higher Education Institutions, Ministry of Higher Education.Muscat

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