It's very easy to fall into the trap of judging new technology by old standards. Often, previously unavailable advantages are undervalued and unstudied for quite some time. For example, the introduction of digital cameras, an invention which opened the world of photography to the public, saw much resistance from the mainstream. Now one rarely sees a professional photographer without a DSLR in his hand. We believe that online and blended style education is experiencing a similar phenomenon. While the effectiveness of online education can be judged using current standards, we hope to bring to light several understudied and under-appreciated aspects that eLearning brings to the classroom. They are: the impact on different types of students, soft skill development, and student evaluation. In our presentation, we will work together with the audience to make rigorous many of these notions as a first step in the design of new quantitative studies.
First, we will take a unique approach to evaluating the effects of online tools on student learning. In lieu of standard correlations which are insensitive to the variables we're interested in, we present concrete evidence of how online tools helps certain students succeed in mastering material. Aided by these examples, we will discuss the impact of different online tools on several student populations. For instance, we will present cases of students whose comprehension of subjects in mathematics was greatly enhanced by the use of online tools.
Next, we will discuss soft skill development in the context of online learning. We make a case that online and blended learning environments require students develop marketable skills. These include: enhanced communication skills, ability to work in groups, and increased problem solving skills. Since most eLearning professionals are familiar with this subject, we will engage the audience in an attempt to formalize the notion of soft skill development for future quantitative studies.
Finally, we will brainstorm the impact of online learning on student evaluation. Again, our focus is not on scores, but on student-instructor interaction. We primarily point out how instructors can use online education to develop relationships with the students for the purpose of evaluation. Examples will be drawn from letters of evaluation, student portfolios, and other areas. The audience will assist us in formulating a framework all of these concepts can be studied.
