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EDET 755: Course Evaluations

Ashley Bonte, Katie Campbell, & Lisa Buonocore
Summer 2014
Introduction

The following sites were evaluated based on a collaborative effort of our group
members. We began by examining the courses available on MIT Courseware. After narrowing
the topic down to technology and its effects, we had about ten courses to choose from. We
settled on two that, while they are related to technology, give separate and valuable
perspectives to educators and parents in todays digital age. The first course is Media
Education, and the Marketplace. Here, participants explore the broad range of issues on new
media and learning as the technical, social, and business aspects are closely examined. The
main question at hand is how can this interactive media enhance the learning process? There
has been an attitude change toward media in todays youth. Instead of viewing media as
something to be consumed, it is something to be created. This site offers an insight into this
attitude as well as how educators and parents can use this to strengthen the learning process.
The second course we evaluated is Technological Tools for School Reform. Participants look at
school reforms debate and the impact that modern forms of technology have on this concept. A
public Charter school is examined in the first half of the course as the final project for the course
is designed around the context of this school. Other research projects are also looked at so that
by the end, participants are introduced to strategies for successful introduction of innovative
educational ideas.

Evaluation 1
Course Title: Media Education, and the
Market Place

Course URL: http://bit.ly/1keyjKB



Learning Objectives
Strengths:
Three distinct themes that are
measured through the course
assignments
Weaknesses:
Not listed as learning objectives
Listed under Course Meeting Times
All are in the form of questions
Course Overview and Introduction
Strengths:
Overview of the course meeting times
Detailed schedule is provided
Course grading policy is clearly stated
Weaknesses:
Not enough detail on the assignments
both under grading and in the
schedule
Assessment and Measurement
Strengths:
Clear instruction on grading policy
Application of learning material is
included in each assignment
Variety of instructional materials are
provided
Weaknesses:
Limited number of assignments to
measure learning

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Instructional Materials
Strengths:
Variety of instructional materials (i.e.
video lectures and readings)
Weaknesses:
Limited to no interaction between
student and instructor
All videos are from different
presenters, lacking a cohesive feel
Course was developed in 2001 which
means materials are rather outdated
Learner Interaction and Engagement
Strengths:
Video lectures match the three stated
themes
Weaknesses:
The requirements for student
interaction are not clearly articulated.
References to in class and TBA are
numerous
No student-to-student or teacher-to
student interaction
Course Navigation and Technology
Strengths:
Navigation of the course is intuitive
All content items function as expected
Students can easily access the
technology outlined in the course
Weaknesses:
The course technologies could use
some updating as the course readings
and videos are functional, but do not
contain current function options such
as easy sharing capabilities
There is no place to collaborate with
others
Learner Support
Strengths:
Links to view the course content in
other languages (Korean, Spanish,
and Portugese) are provided
Weaknesses:
Course instructions do not articulate
accessibility policies, academic
support services, or student support
services
No information is provided to contact
an instructor or facilitator with
questions or comments
Accessibility
Strengths:
There is a good mix between reading
materials and videos lectures
There is little information on the video
lecture pages which lessens the
cognitive load
Weaknesses:
Videos do not offer a closed caption
option
There is little offered by way of
accommodating for different learning
styles or those with disabilities
Course Administration
Strengths:
The amount of time students will
spend on the course is reasonable for
a working adult (11 weeks/3 hours per
week)
The scalability of the required
assignments is reasonable for the
accelerated format
Weaknesses:
There is mention to materials being
passed out in in class
There is no feasible way to submit
assignments or interact with
classmates and instructor


Evaluation Summary
Strengths
We found that there were numerous strengths offered by this online course. The first one
that stands out is the low cognitive load. The course is set up to be very feasible because it only
requires participants to spend 3 hours a week for 11 weeks on coursework. Each week is laid

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out in the syllabus and the project assignments are given ahead of time. The video modules are
not overloaded with information and feature a variety of guest speakers that match the
information from the readings.

Weaknesses
The weaknesses were overwhelming and became more numerous as a closer look was
taken into the course. First, this course appears to be an online version, but requires
participants to attend class in order to receive assignments and instructions. There is no
instructor listed with contact information. Therefore, the assignments that are given in advance,
lack detail. The only useful information from this online course includes video lectures and a
compiled list of readings. However, even the readings are outdated because of the date that the
course was created, which was 2001. There are no options for accessibility on the videos such
as close captioning. There is also a lack of personal feel and connection as each video lecture
features a different person. Overall, this course is unable to be used entirely online and looks
like a supplement to a traditional classroom approach. The videos have their benefits to some
extent, but there is so much lacking here such as accessibility, UDL principles, and a cohesive
understanding of objectives and content goals.

Reflection
There is a lot that can be learned from viewing this online course. First, before enrolling
in a course, it is important to take a close look at the structure to ensure that it is complete and
feasible. While the initial components may look great, there may be underlying factors that
deem it futile. An important aspect that defines high-valued learning in our global society is
interaction among classmates. If there is no form of discussion to bounce ideas and ask
questions, the level of learning decreases dramatically. While videos and a compilation of
readings can be beneficial, it should be coupled with interactive discourse among participants to
maximize learning for everyone.


















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Evaluation 2
Course Title: Technological Tools for School
Reform

Course URL: http://bit.ly/1qj7mdP


Learning Objectives
Strengths:
Outcomes are measurable with class
project
Weaknesses:
Objectives are not clearly defined as
Students will be able
Discussion of only what the course will
do as a whole, not students
Course Overview and Introduction
Strengths:
Index available to guide students to
different sections
overview of what is expected during
course
overview of the big picture and what
students will accomplish by end of the
course
Weaknesses:
No introduction of instructor or
classmates
Assessment and Measurement
Strengths:
The assessment matches the learning
objective and course outline
Examples of successful final projects
are present
Class participation plays a large role
in success
Weaknesses:
There is no rubric for the final project
The final project is the only form of
formative assessment
There is no grading scale to indicate
weight and determining letter grade.
Instructional Materials
Strengths:
Reading for the course are provided
by the instructor
Materials pertain to class discussion
and guest presenters
Materials are provided online or
provided by the instructor a week in
advance
Weaknesses:
There is no distinction between
required and optional course material
Students are encouraged to discuss
readings outside of class, but there is
no place on the course site for
students to set-up these discussions
Learner Interaction and Engagement
Strengths:
There are multiple learning styles
present with class reading, class
discussions, and outside presenters
Activities and readings do seem
aimed at achievement of learning
objectives
Weaknesses:
Student-student discussion is
encouraged, but no tool are provided
for ease of access
No evidence of student-faculty
interaction other than class
discussions
No information on response to
students or feedback on assignments
Course Navigation and Technology
Strengths:
Navigation is logical and easy to
follow
Easy for students to find needed
information
Learner Support
Strengths:
N/A
Weaknesses:
The course does not seem to support
learners at all

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Weaknesses:
There is no media to support learning
The site is a space to store copies of
written information, not a place for
collaboration and discussion among
students and faculty
There are no links to access
discussion boards, student services,
or faculty assistance
Accessibility
Strengths:
The course has clean pages with no
adds to add to distractions
Text Readers are able to navigate the
pages in a logical order because of
the proper use of headers
Weaknesses:
Using the tab key does not help
navigate the webpages
Course Administration
Strengths:
Amount of activities does seem
appropriate; however, there is no set
rubric for students to use
The topic format of the site will aid
students in successful completion of
the course
Weaknesses:
There is no online grade book or way
for students to see progress in the
course
The amount of time required to spend
online is lengthy, One 3 hour session
each week

Evaluation Summary
Strengths
The Technology Tools for School Reform course provides a detailed overview of the
course, including the main objectives for the course and an index. The assessment and
measurement for this course falls in line with the learning objectives, and examples of
successful projects are provided. The instructional materials also match the learning objectives
for the course, and are provided in a few different learning styles.
The navigation for this course is well designed and easy to navigate. It has a clean
design, making it accessible for text readers. Overall, this course seems to be well designed
and can achieve the proposed learning objectives.

Weaknesses
The Technology Tools for School Reform course does have several weaknesses. The
first weakness that can impact many aspects of the course is in the learning objective structure.
They are not clearly defined as what the student will be able to do once completing this course.
There is no information on the instructor for the course, or a place for students to provide
information about themselves. Furthermore, there is nowhere on the course for students to
interact with one another. It is encouraged for students to engage with one another, but there is
not a location for this to occur on the course page, or instructions on how to do so. There is
also no distinction on required versus optional readings, making it hard for the student to follow
assignments along with the missing grading scale.

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Based on the course design, it appears to only be a location to store written information.
There is no multi-media used, nor a place for student interaction. Overall, this course is lacking
some key features for learning interaction which can make this course difficult on the learner.

Reflection
If this were the first online course we had ever taken, we would be completely turned off
to online learning. There are many flaws that outweigh the positives for this online course. The
lack of structure, such as a place for collaboration, accessibility to resources, and assessment
criteria, would make it hard to be successful in this course. One of the main reasons for online
learning is the freedom to work at own pace and not have a schedule to stick to. This course
requires a three hour meeting each week, and it is not clear as to if it is online or on a campus.
These meetings include class discussions and guest speakers, however, it is not stated if the
meetings will be posted online for students who missed the class. Overall, the requirements for
the course leave a lot of unanswered questions; there is an assigned project and examples of
successful ones. However, there is no rubric to guide students on how to create their own
project and the guidelines on which it will be scored. Students enrolling in this course seem to
be getting an environment in which they are supplies the readings and syllabus online, but they
are not getting a true online learning community experience.