A Framework for Evaluating a Personal Learning

Environment Using Digital Storytelling

Nikolaos Marianos (n.marianos@agroknow.gr), Nikolaos Manouselis (nikosm@ieee.org), Madalina Ungur (mada@agroknow.gr), John Stoitsis

(stoitsis@agroknow.gr), Alexios Dimitropoulos (adimitropoulos@agroknow.gr)

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Learning about Politics (LAP) Platform

• Personal Learning Environment developed by the POLITICS project

• Uses digital storytelling and Web 2.0 tools to help users learn about Politics and Active Participation

• Offers multilingual Story Frameworks, Educational Scenarios, Learning Objects and Tutorials

• Addresses school students, VET trainees and adult learners, especially immigrants

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LAP Platform Approach

• Does not impose a unique approach to learning

• It’s based on the idea that the learner is often acquiring knowledge outside the formal context and has an important role in his own learning process

• To support this process offers• tools to foster learning • guiding tutorials hosted at the Politics

Wiki page (wiki.agroknow.gr/politics)

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LAP Platform Components• A collection of Digital Stories based on Story

Frameworks• A collection of Educational Scenarios with various

activities on Politics and Active Citizenship topics• A variety of multilingual Learning Objects (LOs)

(text, images, videos, ppt, etc.)• Communication channels such as Groups,

Forums, Blogs• A set of tutorials on the POLITICS wiki

• Digital Storytelling Tutorial• Web2.0 Tutorial (YouTube, Wikis, Flickr,

Facebook, SlideShare, Wordle, Prezi and Smilebox)

• Copyright Tutorial

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Evaluation Stakeholders

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Evaluation Approach

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Evaluation Approach• Formative

• Content & Stories-Scenarios• LORI questionnaire (Content quality, Learning

Goal Alignment, Feedback and Adaptation, Motivation, Presentation Design and Reusability)

• LAP Platform • WebQual questionnaire v4.0

• Summative• Training methodology, Content & Stories-

Scenarios• pre- and post-training session questionnaires

• LAP Platform • WebQual questionnaire v4.0

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Open Validation Event - Spring School

Participants ProfilesAge < 25: 3

26-30: 3

36-40: 3

41-45: 5

46-50: 4

> 50: 4

Occupation1 entrepreneur

2 journalists

4 students

8 teachers

4 trainers

1 UN employee

2 university professors

Country

Austria: 1

Belgium: 1

Estonia: 3

Finland: 1

Germany: 2

Italy: 3

Romania: 2

Slovenia: 4

Turkey: 2

UK: 2

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Evaluation Results

POLITICS Methodology Learn Effect

Learn effect on Web 2.0 and OER experience

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Evaluation Results

Personalization Learning About Politics PLE Operation & Design

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Evaluation Results

Learning About Politics PLE Operation & Design

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Conclusions - Strengths• The educational material is structured properly,

it helped learning • The activities makes use of many sources (i.e.

material from web links, Wiki pages, blogs, YouTube and other Web2.0 tools) to construct knowledge.

• The pilot training course was responsive to their own particular learning needs

• Collaborative learning improved their learning ability

• Web2.0 tools used and the information provided proved useful in everyday life circumstances

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Conclusions - Weaknesses• The navigation of the LAP Platform is not very

easy• The collaborative story writing tools were not

very handy• The LAP Platform did not always create a sense

of personalization• The LAP Platform did not have a very attractive

appearance• Digital storytelling was not always improving the

learning ability of the learners• The course was not very responsive to the

particular cultural needs of the learners

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Conclusion• The evaluation methodology:

• identified a number of weaknesses• allowed for the improvement of

• the learning methodology• the content• the Personal Learning Environment• the evaluation tools themselves

(WebQual questionnaire)• The LAP Platform was improved in terms

of:• appearance and design• facilitating easy access to training Tutorials,

to Web2.0 tools and offering additional guidance to its users

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Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!