A development of formative evaluation system examining the delivery of online courses

• Main Author: Habulan, Nenita Vidal
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2003
• Subjects: Educational evaluation; Curriculum evaluation; Online information services; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/17
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study is on the development of a formative evaluation system designed to examine the delivery of online courses. The formative evaluation system includes three (3) key elements in online course delivery, namely: faculty technology skills, design of course content, and system's features and capabilities. The study examined how the interactions of these three key elements prompted, promoted and sustained online interaction. To validate this formative evaluation system, a pilot test was conducted at De La Salle University-Manila involving eleven (11) faculty members. This study made use descriptive-evaluative research method. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires developed by the researcher, interviews, and from the observation and assessment of learning activities in the Chat Rooms and Discussion Forums of faculty participants in this study. A descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and the standard deviation were employed in the analysis of the gathered data. A qualitative content analysis was used to assess the data from the IVLE Chat Rooms and Discussion Forums. Study results reveal that technology skills have helped to a great extent faculty in prompting, promoting and sustaining online interaction. The faculty participants in the study showed application of these skills as demonstrated in the discussion forums and chat logs. While these technology skills were mostly associated with the use of the IVLE system's tools and resources, majority of the faculty participants in the study, likewise showed a common agreement that skills in using the other criteria in the design of course content are helpful in effecting online interaction. There is high evidence of the application of these course design criteria in the discussion forums and chat logs of faculty participants. The study also reveal high acceptance among faculty that the IVLE courseware management system used in this study is user-friendly. However, in terms of accessibility and availability of the system, study results show that faculty experienced technical problems in the course of teaching online. In addition, faculty participants in the study expressed the need for additional technology training on the application of other software. Online learning is an evolving educational practice and a such faculty are still adjusting to this type of learning environment. There is so much to learn and unlearn about this teaching paradigm. The formative evaluation system developed in this study has examined these practices within the framework of online interaction as prompted, promoted and sustained through the interactions of three (3) elements in online course delivery, namely: faculty technology skills, design of course content and use of the system. Overall, study results show sufficient evidence of the interactions of these three elements in prompting, promoting and sustaining online interaction.