EDUCAUSE | Documents Contributed by ECAR and Assessment and Evaluation

Measuring Student Experiences with Course Management Systems

drupal — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:14:15 -0500

This research bulletin draws on the results of several research studies that are centered on the student experience with course management systems. These studies provide insight on student course management system use and experiences and lay a valuable foundation for future measurement of their experiences with these systems.

Evaluating Course Management Technology: A Pilot Case Study

drupal — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 13:50:31 -0600

This research bulletin describes the results of a pilot case study at Brandeis University, Wesleyan University, and Williams College that was based on an evaluation framework for analyzing course management technologies developed by Project cms@wbw.edu. The framework, which focuses on learning effectiveness, teaching efficiency, and total cost of ownership, was outlined in ECAR Research Bulletin, Issue 14, 2003 (July 8, 2003).

Leading Innovation: Innovation Climate and IT Unit Effectiveness

drupal — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:49:05 -0500

This research bulletin provides new findings, insights, and recommendations relating to the relationship between IT unit effectiveness and the climate for innovation in higher education. It describes three types of innovation that are relevant to IT and the impact that each can have on the IT unit and the institution as a whole. The findings are based on analysis of data collected during the online survey for the 2004 ECAR study, Information Technology Leadership in Higher Education: The Condition of the Community.

Measuring Innovation: A Plausible Strategy for Information Technology

drupal — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 09:04:19 -0500

Information technologies are often designed to measure the success of innovative strategies. This research bulletin presents a conceptual understanding of the process of change and innovation on the one hand, and a practical way of measuring current and future trajectories on the other. It is based on research conducted for the Weatherstation Project, a longitudinal study of e-learning, and describes the measurement strategies the project employed as well as the conceptual framework that provided the necessary definitions for e-learning.

Expert-Driven Assessment: Making It Meaningful

drupal — Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:35:04 -0500

This bulletin illustrates how to harness technology to make evaluating student learning and development meaningful to both the expert measuring the intended result and to the decision maker who must inform policy. The bulletin discusses how technology can assist with mapping student learning to values that are meaningful to instructors and specialists, as well as to institutional, state, and federal administrators. By mapping values, articulated as intended outcomes, and by gathering meaningful data that can be linked to standards used to inform decisions and recommendations for continuous improvement, expert-driven assessment can influence state and national policies.

Continuous-Improvement Strategies in Higher Education: A Progress Report

drupal — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 17:25:33 -0500

Institutions using continuous-improvement management strategies, by whatever label, find them to be proven methodologies for increasing effectiveness and building institutional agility. This bulletin reports the results of a survey conducted to determine the current application of a variety of continuous-improvement strategies in higher education. The results, from the CEOs of two- and four-year, public and private institutions, describe management innovations and outcomes for today's campuses.

An Evaluation Framework for Course Management Technology

drupal — Tue, 08 Jul 2003 08:43:07 -0500

This research bulletin describes an evaluation framework--developed by Project BMS@WBW.edu--for analyzing the teaching and learning processes that course management technologies support. Because the project has pedagogical goals at its foundation, the framework assesses the gain (or loss) of learning effectiveness and of teaching efficiency and the total cost of ownership, rather than simply focusing on features of course management systems.

Technology Assessment: Making Sure We Get It Right

drupal — Mon, 28 Oct 2002 17:10:56 -0600

Assessment is a critical tool for decision makers because it provides the basis for answering internal and external questions, including those dealing with accreditation, use of technology, or cost efficiencies. This Research Bulletin explains the purpose and value of assessment in higher education. It describes the current state of information technology assessment and suggests how campuses might carry out assessment programs.