Blended e-learning, evaluation and emerging scenarios

Blended e-learning, evaluation

and emerging scenarios

Giovanni Ragone

BLAdEdu Malaga ConferenceAugust 27-29, 2015

BLAdEdu 539717-LLP-1-2013-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP



DISCLAIMER

This project has been funded with support from theEuropean Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the author andthe Commission cannot be held responsible for any usewhich may be made of the information contained therein.



EU Educational Systems: long term Challenges

• Quality ensuring, containing costs• continuous educational paths redesigning• enlarging mission of LLL • not anglophone Europe/ massive angloamerican online offer • needs of more vocational training• quality assurance • customization and flexibility individual learning pathways

Blended e-learning is strategic



On line Learning Trends

Blended e-learning is strategic:updated contents re-using; collaborative tools; UGC; multilingualservices; vocational training; ‘digital natives’ skills …

XXI Century Trends:•more autonomy to learners •interaction in real time encouraging •‘in depth’: from transmissive or interactionist models to constructivism, focused on the learner, and to social-constructivism, focused on group and network



EU Education (and blended learning) actual three changes

1) Changes in Technology, Media and Communication:

mobile devices, multiple systems of access to knowledge, with a

further relocation and personalization both in individual and shared

activities;

rise of peer to peer models, as a consequence of social network

environment: alternative to the classroom and the e-learning

platform or integrated with them?



EU Education (and blended learning) actual three changes

2) Changes in the structure and format of education:

towards a cross and multidisciplinary model (as in Finnland)

towards a wider diffusion of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs),

with fragmentation, weak consistence educational paths, change of role

for institutions as marketing providers of on line educational content



EU Education (and blended learning) actual three changes3) Changes in enterprise training systems

focused on the efficiency and effectiveness of the single mini-training unit, assisted self training in blended e-learning or unassisted self training

on the other hand unconventional educational paths: Experiential learning, Outdoor training, etc.

and ongoing needs of a “total” quality ( knowledge management, learning communities )



Evaluation: the ‘classic’ model., focused on:

1) the validity of the educational process setting (ex ante)

2) the validity of the training process (ongoing)

3) the effectiveness of the training process (ex post)

4) the validity of the educational contents (video, exercises, tests, other materials)

5) the further satisfaction of stakeholders (structures, end users)



Ten ‘classic’ indicatorsCourse design validity1.1 Virtual Learning Environment selected; 1.2 learning process scheduling (compared to target and to training needs); 1.3 teaching methodology (idem);

Ongoing training process2.1 Vertical (teacher-student) and horizontal (student-student) interaction organization; 2.2 technical help desk;



Ten ‘classic’ indicators

Effectiveness3.1 teaching effectiveness (overall average of the course’s votes resulting from tests); 3.2 satisfaction of the students (questionnaire);Contents4.1 technical implementation quality; 4.2 appropriateness for the learning goals;Stakeholders satisfaction5.1 online and paper questionnaires.



Weakness of the ‘classic’ model of evaluation: it does not elaborate enough…

• the cognitive and ergonomic level (Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Mediated Communication, Distributed Cognition)

• the pedagogical level (it’s suitable perhaps for transmissive or interactionist models, less for constructivist, and for transformativeof the organization learning)

• the organizational plan in the digital environment context, asinteraction between the individual, the group, the teacher / tutor, the on line community, and the use of Community instruments

(as research activities, learning objects creation, on line narration of experiences, thematic networks creation, networks self-evaluation …)



Searching new indicators related to interaction in digital environment…

• reticular design• interactive dynamicity in the process of requests and outputs between nodes• enhancement of interaction among external resources and experts and the displayed, shared, cooperative interaction among participants• classroom integration with on line community learning processes



• focus on cooperative, polarized, thematic learningTesting not only individual ICT skills but also other organizational

issues as…- Sharing of communication standard (technologies and relationships) to facilitate and stabilize the group learning practices- Sharing of objectives, thematic focus, negotiated commitments- Sharing of organized flow: communication, monitoring, reporting- Using of qualified digital libraries





Course design1.1 Virtual Learning Environment selected; 1.2 learning process scheduling (compared to target and training needs); 1.3 reticular design, interactive dynamicity in the process; 1.4 interaction with external resources and experts, classroom integration with on line community learning processes); 1.5 teaching methodology 1.6 teaching methodology focusing on cooperative, polarized, thematic learning

Ongoing training process2.1 vertical (teacher-student) and horizontal (student-student) interaction organization; 2.2 care of groups; 2.3 technical help desk;



Output: 16 integrated indicators

Effectiveness3.1 teaching effectiveness (overall average of the course’s votes resulting from tests); 3.2 students satisfaction (questionnaire); 3.3 progress between entrance skills and exit skills related to defined key skills.

Contents4.1 quality of technical implementation; 4.2 appropriateness for the learning goals; 4.3 quality of user generated contentsStakeholders satisfaction

5.1 online and paper questionnaires



Thinking about actual changes. New dimensions for evaluation?

On line and peer to peer evaluation?A fast evolution takes us from closed environments (educational, academic, business) to hybrid closed / open and multidimensional environments:

How should blended learning new dimensions be considered in evaluation systems?



New dimensions for evaluation?

1) Technology, Media and Communication supply educational changes: mobile devices, multiple systems of access to knowledge, with a

further relocation and personalization both in individual and shared activities;

rise of peer to peer models, as a consequence of social network environment: alternative to the classroom and the e-learning platform or integrated with them?

New emerging dimensions of blended learning are:widenining of demand, of actors, of content reusability, of flexybility, focusing on learner’s content production, gamification, social networking

(fragmentation, flipped classroom, shared teaching)




2) Changes in the structure and format of education:

towards a cross and multidisciplinary model (as in Finnland)

towards a wider diffusion of MOOCs (fragmentation, weak consitency

educational paths, institutions as marketing providers of on line

educational content)

New emerging dimensions of blended learning are:Integrating educational resources, firsthand experiencing, open innovation (in the MOOCs area self-study, wikinomics, crowdsourcing –in general not to be assessed in depth)




3) Changes in enterprise training systemsfocused on the efficiency and effectiveness of the single mini-training unit, assisted self training in blended e-learning or unassisted self training on the other hand: unconventional educational paths: Experiential learning, Outdoor training, etc.and ongoing needs of a “total” quality (knowledge management, learning communities)

Wavering: tayloristic control vs. creativity needs,

collaborative and learning mission-identified community vs. outsourcing

and crowdsourcing… As Moocs…



Could be evaluated…

Integration of mobile technology in courses design and management

Technological compatibility between systems

Modularity and reusability in other training courses

Social networking systems

Activation of the participants in search for knowledge



Could be evaluated…

On line research and aggregation of knowledge models and examples

Tools for collaborative web-learning

User centered design

Experiential learning tools

Organizational tools for learning communities

Blended e-learning, evaluation and emerging scenarios

Education

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