Comparison & Evaluation of Online Courses ED Tech 522-4202

Bruce Younger
The first course to be evaluated is from the M.I.T. Open courseware site, this site is dedicated to providing free knowledge to anyone who is willing to spend their free time learning from one of our nations best universities. The course title is: Media, Education, and the Marketplace Instructor(s) Prof. Shigeru Miyagawa MIT Course Number CMS.930 / 21F.034 As Taught In Fall 2001 Level Graduate URL for course: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/comparative-media-studies/cms-930-media-education-and-the-marketplace-fall2001/index.htm The second course to be evaluated is from Carnegie Mellon University - Open Learning Initiative. This site is limited in the categories they make available for free learning; however, of the two courses I evaluated CMUs course is certainly more interactive. The course title is: Principles of Computing Instructor(s) No instructor listed CMU Course Number: No course number listed As Taught In: Course originated online, and has not been adapted from an Instructor Lead course. Level Undergraduate URL for course: https://CMU.cmu.edu/jcourse/lms/students/syllabus.do?section=c09caa2080020ca600a3e616132157d4

Rubric for evaluation developed from SREB.org: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University
How does course meet criteria in this area The course goals and objectives are measurable and clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth, and breadth to teach the standards being addressed Considerations Objectives are matched to content requirements and to the grade and skill levels of the intended audience. Meets Criteria Partially Meets Criteria Does not Meet Criteria Comments Neither course defined its objectives, however MIT did provide some overview of the direction the learners would be taken and what they might learn.

MIT

CMU

Clear and explicit alignment exists between objectives, assessments, instructional strategies, content and technology; and the content, activities and assignments provide multiple learning opportunities to master the standards. The syllabus and overview include: course objectives and student learning outcomes; assignments; student expectations; time requirements; required materials; the grading pCMUcy; teacher student, teacher-parent contact pCMUcies; the intended audience; and the content scope and sequence. The course requirements include: a timeframe for participation; an approximate time required for individual activities; expectations for communications, such as online discussion, synchronous chats and e-mail; activity and other assignment expectations; and survey and/or exam expectations. This could be included in the course materials or in the orientation to the course materials.

CMU

MIT

A clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course.

MIT

CMU

While both courses offered assignments that were challenging, MITs offerings were either video lead or reading assignments and the readings could only be carried out if you actually purchased books. CMU offered in-course activities that allowed you to practice what you were learning. All reading materials were provided by CMU. Both courses offered Syllabi that had course detail. Assignments and activities as well as testing are part of the syllabus. However neither offered course objectives that fully outlined course objectives. CMU only offered course outline with no schedule for completion or other expectations.

Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated.

MIT

CMU

Neither course provide an outline of course requirements other than the schedule of materials to be read or viewed and assessments. Since both courses are part of an Open Courseware program there are little if any, schedules or requirement to complete the courses

Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online teacher and course provider, including information on the process for These communications. Instructor resources and notes are included.

MIT CMU

There is very little contact information on the MIT course, it only includes the instructors name. On the CMU course there is no instructor named nor is there any form of contact information provided.

Instructor has included: additional guidance for teachers; possible scenarios for course module sequence; suggestions for guiding students on paths; teaching strategies for diverse students; suggestions for fostering student interaction and

MIT

CMU

In regard to the MIT course there was video lecture and transcripts provided but little else. CMU did not offer any instructor lead instruction or lecture. As a result, no notes were provided.

Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included.

participation in discussions. Built-in course assessments are provided, and user access to answers and information about each item is available.

CMU

MIT

Sufficient learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins.

Self-assessments or checklists that assess prerequisite knowledge and skills; orientations, tutorials, activities, pCMUcies and procedures to help students acquire the prerequisite knowledge and skills.

MIT

CMU

CMU has done an excellent job of providing knowledge checks and exercises though out the course material as well as assessments at the end of each unit. MIT did not offer any assessment opportunity. MIT wins this battle because all of their material is available for download prior to starting. CMUs material is all available after you begin the course.

(Rubric created from the SREBs Educational Technology Cooperative - Checklist for Evaluating Online Courses) When I first looked at the MIT site a few years ago and started taking a few courses from that site, I though how amazing! I was enamored with MIT and the generosity to offer courses (not for credit) that they were offering in the general classroom, I was learning with the best, and that excited me. But let us now turn on the light of reality. After reading these chapters and other resource and using a rubric to grade their efforts, I am so disappointed. Sure I was learning from MIT, but how much better could it be? It can be a whole lot better, and I imagine you get what you pay for. I cannot imagine that MITs pay per credit online campus would use the same structure. What are the minimum areas that must be evaluated to determine the quality of any online course? When evaluating an online course there are several areas that you must address. First you must evaluate whether or not the course offers an overview and does it introduce the objectives for learning. Does the course have assessments or any method to measure the participants transfer of knowledge? One of the shortcomings of one of the courses I evaluated was that the course did not offer the opportunity to download instructional materials. The reason I find this to be important is because your participants may not have access to the internet at all times, having the ability to download course materials means that he or she has the ability to work offline. The MIT course that I evaluated did not really offer much in the way of Learner Interaction or Engagement, which is key to keeping your learners focused and involved in the learning experience. The final two areas I feel are important and should be considered a minimum must have for a course is learner support. Learners must know that there is someone out there who can help them, or to keep them accountable. I can see that there is a long way to go for both of these programs that I evaluate and of course they are not going to invest any more than they have to in order to provide the fantastic free service that they are offering. That said I am sure that there are other online programs that need adjustments to meet the minimum criteria for a successful online program. I know that when I begin creating fully functional online courses I will have a lot of work ahead of me, there is much more to creating an online course then I could have imagined. The courses need to start with a sCMUd syllabus, content access, scheduling, and interactivity. Neither of the examples that I chose to evaluate offered any kind of contact with the instructor or a proctor. For the most part you are in that course alone without peer support or instructor guidance. These items are a must for any online course in my opinion. I plan to have a long and prosperous career creating learning whether it is in the brick and mortar classroom or if it is online. These principles have certainly made me aware of the amount of effort and design that must go into course development, and that I need to have sCMUd course structure that will empower those who learn from me to be successful.