1. MASTER IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING -AUTONOMOUS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

2. SETTING AND OPTIMIZING LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTRES II Tutor Patricia Alvarez June, 2017

3. Evaluating the effectiveness of a VLRC
SESSION AGENDA
Evaluating the effectiveness of a VLRC
What we are learning from on line education ?
Your VLRCs in the international context
Important dates and oncoming activities.
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

4. Evaluating the effectiveness of a VLRC

5. What does evaluation mean to you?
Analysis
Critique
Judgment
Feedback
Audit
Reflection
Improvement
Satisfaction

6. What does evaluation mean to you?
You are to create an instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of the VLRC.
Make sure you apply it to students

7. Evaluation Is the Key to Effective Successful Online Learning Initiatives

8. A major evaluation challenge is determining what your school/ university authorities will regard as credible evidence for sponsorship purposes, future developments, etc.

9. Evaluation Paradigms People have hold different evaluation paradigms.
We should recognize ours and others.
Try to avoid paradigm wars.

10. Experimental (Quantitative) Paradigm
There are facts with an objective reality that exist regardless of our beliefs.
The goal of evaluation is to detect the causes of changes in phenomena through measurement and quantitative analysis.
Experimental designs are best because they reduce “error” which hides the truth.
Detachment is the ideal state.

11. Interpretive (Qualitative) Paradigm
Reality is socially constructed through collective definitions of phenomena.
The goal of evaluation is to interpret phenomena from multiple perspectives.
Ethnographic methods such as observation and interviews are best because they provide the basis for sharing interpretations.
Immersion is the ideal state.

12. Pragmatic (Eclectic) Paradigm
Reality is complex, and many phenomena are chaotic and unpredictable.
The goal of evaluation is to provide decision-makers with the information they need to make better decisions.
Methods and tools should be selected on the basis of their potential for enhancing the quality of decision-making.
Wonder and skepticism are the ideal states.

13. So what are some better ideas about evaluating online learning environments?

14. Decision-Making and Evaluation
We must make decisions about how we go about designing and using e-learning.
Continuation of the centre
Involvement of other communities
Expansion to other communicative abilities

15. Conducting Evaluations - Step 2
Clarify questions that must be addressed to guide decisions.
Who is enrolled in the VLRC and why
How the centre can be improved
What would the impact of this performance be

16. Conducting Evaluations - Step 3
Select methods.
Observations
Interviews
Focus Groups
Questionnaires
Data log analysis
Expert Review
Usability Studies

17. Selective Criteria for Evaluation
Consistency
Learning
Economy
Safety
Flexibility
Efficiency

18. Bad News
Oh...no!
There is no single, easy way to administer, inexpensive, reliable, and valid approach to evaluating an online learning environment.

19. Good News
The instrument we are to design is just the first step in the process! Its results can be later on corroborated with other observation paradigms…
Thank
goodness!

20. Development Activities
Evaluation Function
Development Activities
Review
Conceptualization
Needs Assessment
Design
Formative Evaluation
Development
Effectiveness Evaluation
Implementation
Impact Evaluation
Institutionalization
Maintenance Evaluation
Re-conceptualization

21. Reflecting about the VLRC outcomes
The virtual language resource centres you are currently developing target different segments of the Colombian educational community: children, teenagers, adults, private school students, public school students, and university students.  These privileged groups will be advocated to the learning and practice of the foreign language by means of e-learning resources.   In contrast, according to a report issued by The World Bank (2010) “more than 60% of students who qualify for university or tertiary education in developing countries can't attend.   E-Learning via low-cost ICT devices can work for students, teachers, and the communities they live in”.   Many of you may have thought about the new challenge this implies from the point of view of educators: Apart from providing our students with extra opportunities for learning and practicing the foreign language, e- learning means providing access to  low-cost education to some of those who cannot afford face-to face instruction due to geographical and or economic  constraints.  

22. Reflecting about the VLRC outcomes
To what extent do you consider that online education and in this case your VLRC can contribute to the education of populations who are geographically and or economically deprived from face- to- face instruction?
What in your opinion should be the social and educational responsibilities of educational institutions in this regard?

23. Reflecting about the VLRC outcomes
Do your colleagues at school know about the centre?
Do any other members of the community know about it?
How do you think you can share your creation to other teachers?

24. Your VLRCs in the international context
Yes, that’s a great option!!

25. Image retrieved from: http://tomjsteel. files. wordpress

26. Your VLRCs in the national context

27. Your VLRCs in the international context

28. Your VLRCs in the international context
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

29. Your VLRCs in the international context
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

30. Your VLRCs in the national & international context
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

31. Final suggestions
Do not include any elements that may distract the user. Gliterring signs, picture slideshow, etc.
Make sure the language used is error free
Do not forget to include the links to the centres created by your peers in the resources section of your own centre.
Make sure pictures do not overlap text and viceversa.
Try the centre using different navigators. At times the interface can be better visualized by means of a particular one. Let users know which of them will allow better visualization and access.
In regards to copyright. Some of you designed a credits section. List there the webpages/ sites from which you directly downloaded the resources.

32. Important info & dates Submit final version of your VLRC
Monday, June 13, 8:00 a.m.
Language resource centre: 60%
Online activity development 40%
 You will get extra Credits…
when you obtain sponsorship from your school/university authorities to carry on doing the project (upon presentation of an official letter) : extra points
when you get an external international reader whose field of action/expertise is related with the creation of online learning environments to give you feedback and ideas for the improvement of your project and actually does it: (upon presentation of evidence) 0.3
when you write and publish an article related to your VLRC: 1.0

33. Credits
Some slides of this presentation were adapted from: Reeves, T. (n.d.) “Evaluating Online and Blended Learning Environments”.
The University of Georgia
Instructional Technology