 |
|
|
|
      |
|
|
|
| NMC Learning Object Initiative |
|
|
New Directions in Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Educational
Technology Walter F. Heinecke, Lara Blasi, Natalie Milman, and Lisa Washington An outgrowth of the 1999 Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, this white paper focuses on the evaluation of technology-based instruction in primary and secondary schooling. The following are listed as fundamental questions:
The authors argue that what should be measured should not be limited to experimental standards-based models but may need to include more complex, contextual performance-based evaluation methods: "Perhaps we should be developing technologically based performance assessments to measure the impact of technology on student learning." The goal is to think about broader and deeper learning outcomes that technology may facilitate such as higher order or metacognitive thinking skills. What needs to be worked out then is the purpose of education technology, so that those involved can decide what it is that will be measured, how it will be measured, and when. They note that "just as technology has caused us to reevaluate the nature of knowledge and instruction, it prods us to reevaluate the forms of evaluation that are brought to bear when examining educational technology." In short, the authors argue that the question is not whether educational technology works but when and under what conditions it works. This leads to questions about when and by which methods learning technologies should be evaluated for learning outcomes. The paper concludes with recommendations for increasing formative practices. For the full text, see: |