Robson, J., Evaluating online teaching, (2000), Open Learning, 15(2), 152-172.
In discussing the use of technology in distance education of particular interest is the process of evaluation. Evaluating methodology (technology use) and student outcome are inherent processes in the teaching and learning paradigm.
A design theory of “human-computer interfaces” is the central focus of the article. The author defines the design theory and identifies several areas to consider in evaluating online courses; more importantly, she raises the question of how educational theory is applied throughout the process.
Robson assumes educational technology must be designed with specific educational theories in mind. She proposes design technology is impacted by theory at any point in the process. In creating the design one should have a learning theory in mind to guide design. Robson further acknowledges that application of the technology is incumbent upon the user’s framework (or use of educational theory).
The focus of Robson’s article is her creation of a model for online course evaluation. The model is unique in that it evaluates a number of criteria. A few criteria evaluated are: examination of the relationship between design and educational theory, application of educational theory, interface of student to technology and student satisfaction.
The model does appear cumbersome and too multifaceted for practical use. The author does raise awareness regarding areas to be evaluated that are often overlooked. Robson concludes the article with a call for teachers to become more aware of impact of educational theory on course design and to continue to pursue the impact of interfaces on learning.
Upon reading this article, a question that comes to mind for Robson would be does she believe that with these evaluation tools that she has discussed, can she see more schools, whether it be secondary or post-secondary, moving to more online types of classes or keeping with mostly traditional face-to-face settings? Does she see any specific changes that will be coming to the online learning environment in the near future with the explosion of the social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook?
The evaluation system that she has proposed here seems to be something that not only should instructors with online classes look at and adapt their curriculum to, but also something that more traditional courses may want to look at and keep in mind when evaluating their courses. It seems as if more and more courses are involving some form of technology in them. These technology components are more than just a basic research type of project, but a presentation or multimedia component in many cases.
Upon reading and looking at the thoughts within this article, it did give a lot of information that will be very useful to anyone looking at setting up a curriculum or evaluation system for an online course. It may need to be modified in order to work with a particular course, but that is the case in most settings. This system however will give someone a good point to start their own evaluation system and give them great ideas on how to start setting up their course and possibly give them some things to think about that they had overlooked.
Robson, J., Evaluating online teaching, (2000), Open Learning, 15(2), 152-172.