Professor Thomas C. Reeves is a Professor of Learning, Design and Technology at The University of Georgia where he teaches graduate-level evaluation, multimedia design, and research methods courses.  In addition to numerous presentations and workshops in the USA, he has been invited to speak in more than 25 countries. He is a Past President of the Association for the Development of Computer-based Instructional Systems (ADCIS) and a former Fulbright Lecturer in Peru.  In 1995, he was selected as one of the “Top 100” people in multimedia by Multimedia Producer magazine, and from 1997 - 2000, he was the editor of the Journal of Interactive Learning Research. In 2003, he was the first person to receive the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) Fellowship Award.  He is currently writing a second edition of his evaluation book with Professor John Hedberg from Macquarie University in Australia.

Professor Jan Herrington, School of Education, Murdoch Universityhas co-written and edited many books specifically for teachers in higher education on a variety of technology- and teaching-related subjects. She has developed a range of innovative technology-based environments, and has led a number of large projects, including two prestigious Australian Research Council  research projects. Jan has an international reputation for her research into e-learning and has won awards at both the national and international level for her research including a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. Jan currently leads several large projects exploring innovative uses of learning technologies and is supervising a number of PhD students working in this area. She regularly presents at international conferences and has given a number of keynote addresses. She is an active member of the editorial boards of several international e-learning journals and international conference programs.

Participants should be familiar with the concept of e-learning. Ideally, they would have experience designing or implementing e-learning.

Prerequisites if any:

Participants should be familiar with the concept of e-learning. Ideally, they would have experience designing or implementing e-learning as instructional designers or instructors. However, education and training personnel without instructional design experience can also benefit from this workshop.

Description of Presentation Format:

The workshop will begin with an authentic task. The participants will be asked to work in pairs to outline an evaluation plan for an e-learning program. There will be two scenarios for this activity, one focused on higher education and one focused on business. (I am assuming that there would be participants from both sectors there.) This activity will take 20 minutes. The plan outlines will be set aside for comparison with the plans that the participants develop at the end of the workshop.

The next sections of the workshop include short presentations on the following topics:

• Recognizing your own evaluation paradigm
• Establishing a rationale for evaluating e-learning in your organization
• Six functions of e-learning evaluation for Preparing an evaluation plan focused on critical decisions
•  Specific strategies and tools for evaluating e-learning
• Case studies from higher education and corporate training

Participants will then work in pairs to outline a new evaluation plan that is informed by the content of the presentations. Several pairs will be asked to present their plans so that feedback can be provided. The workshop will conclude with a presentation of realistic final thoughts about the challenges of evaluating e-learning. Participants will be invited to ask questions at any time during the workshop as well as at the conclusion.

Workshop Description and Aims: To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of e-learning requires a "triangulation" approach whereby multiple models and procedures are applied. Conducting comprehensive evaluations of e-learning in a timely and efficient manner is the focus of this workshop. Why is evaluation of e-learning so important? Commercially produced or locally developed e-learning programs are being developed and implemented around the globe. These programs are promoted as effective and efficient solutions to education and training problems. Yet systematic evaluation of the implementation and efficacy of these e-learning programs is often lacking. This workshop is specifically designed to establish evaluation as a key strategy throughout the design, development, and implementation of e-learning at all levels of education and training.

Outcomes for Participants:

Participants in this workshop will learn how to implement strategies and tools for evaluating e-learning at all levels of education and training. Participants will learn to develop an evaluation plan, implement it, and report the evaluation in a timely manner so that it has the desired impact on decision-making.
Specifically, the participants will be able to perform the following tasks:

1. Describe three major paradigms for evaluation in education and training.

2. Distinguish between:

a. assessment and evaluation;
b. internal and external evaluation;
c. intrinsic and extrinsic evaluation; and
d. formative and summative evaluation.

3. Identify and choose among six functions of evaluation for e-learning:
a. review;
b. needs assessment;
c. formative evaluation;
d. effectiveness evaluation;
e. impact evaluation; and
f. maintenance evaluation.

4. Outline an evaluation plan for an e-learning program focused on decisions, questions, and mixed methods.

5. Recognize the advantages and limitations of e-learning evaluation.