Tuesday, March 17, 2009

My Guidelines



The following is my first cut at choosing some elearning guidelines that would be useful to apply to, or review with, a project I am involved in.

Then I realised I was getting confused between:
  1. The organisation I work with, implementing an LMS and developing blended learning strategies for presently operating courses (7000 learners), also creating an NZ first for a new course delivered 75% online, and,
  2. The non-profit that I am working with 'for love', creating a single new course from the ground up for NZQA approval, developing courses to put on the Moodle install we have, with my understanding of the types of people working in the OSCAR childcare sector.
CUT ONE - the key ideas for me are bold, the ones that grabbed my attention. My thoughts are in red after each guideline.
TT13 Does the teacher evaluate the e-learning during the course
to identify its effectiveness and how to improve it?
TT2 Does course assessment relate to intended learning
outcomes and to student learning needs and situations?
TT5 Do students get clearly defined and documented
assessment criteria at the start of each course?
TT15 Are you able to measure and monitor student activity in a
learning management system?
MD1 What systems are in place for monitoring the quality of study material, including its periodic review and or
redevelopment?
MO11 Has the institution collaboratively developed a vision for e-
learning that is aligned with its overall vision for teaching
and learning?
MO20 What systems are in place for ensuring that teaching and
support staff have the knowledge, experience and ability to
match the objectives of the institution? Is there even any recognition of this match and the potentially signiicant returns for the organisation?
SD2 Do students have any choice in terms of what they learn,
the particular resources they will study and / or the learning
activities they will engage in? A self-selected course of study, with learning activities chosen as desired ust be really powerful - how do I do this an not burn out developing 3 different learning opportunities and potential assessment activities for our non-profit?
SD3 Do students gain knowledge relevant to employment and/or
current thinking in their field? Wafle will not be tolerated in the organisation, especially when a core motivation for the elearning development and the LMS deployment is to save 'man-power non'effective' time in class getting spoon fed content. We have to be 'precise'.
ST2 Do the students know at the start of the course what is
expected of them? How many times and in how many ways do we explain this - I guess a good evaluative measure, asking the right questions in the right way will show it. Like the study of different media types

ST5 Have activities been identified that allow individuals and
groups to learn through experience, including opportunities
to demonstrate, reinforce knowledge, develop
understanding and practice skills? Some course may be revision that improves practice, because the person is already doing a good job but is motivated to get another 'nugget of wisdom'. A preenrolment measure that captures this will be important for the non-profit.


My SECOND CUT: I will focus on the non-profit as I have in many ways, more control over the process and the implementation of evaluation.

MD1 What systems are in place for monitoring the quality of study material, including its periodic review and or
redevelopment? I chose this because it covers more than one other question, as it includes scope for assessment criterial up front, support materials, content structure, accessibility etc.


ST5 Have activities been identified that allow individuals and
groups to learn through experience, including opportunities
to demonstrate, reinforce knowledge, develop
understanding and practice skills? I chose this one because I want to use a 'communities of practice' approach to course development, hands on, workplace based learning and this question's answers can be evaluated in this type of course.
http://www.stepforward.co.nz
http://www.theoscarclub.org.nz
http://www.keakids.co.nz

1 comment:

Bronwyn hegarty said...

Craig this is a great post and shows that you have done a great deal of exploration and thinking about the eLearning Guidelines. Your decision to evaluate the course development you are involved in for the OSCAR childcare sector sounds like an excellent one. I really like the critique you have made of the guidelines.

I agree with your comment re SD2 about choice for students in their learning - it would be easy to get really carried away trying to please all the punters. So this is why it is really important to factor in the cost-effectiveness of an exercise not only when designing but also when evaluating. Your time is valuable! Often however when we are doing things for "love" or goodwill, time gets left out of the equation doesn't it? MD1 and ST5 look like excellent guidelines for your project and will help you to keep the evaluation focussed on two very important areas related to the new course development - measures of quality and evaluation of an innovative approach to activities.

It was also really good to see your reasons for choosing the two guidelines you ended up with in the second cut.