Abstract
The properties that distinguish learning objects (LOs) from other forms of educational software – global accessibility, metadata standards, finer granularity and reusability – have implications for evaluation. This chapter proposes a collaborative model for LO evaluation in which representatives from stakeholder groups (e.g., students, instructors, subject matter experts, instructional designers, and media developers) converge toward more similar descriptions and ratings through a two-stage process supported by online tools. The chapter reviews evaluation models that have been applied to educational software and media, considers models for gathering and meta-evaluating individual user reviews that have recently emerged on the Web, and analyzes the peer review model adopted for the MERLOT repository. The proposed convergent participation model is compared to other models and assessed with respect to its support for eight goals of LO evaluation: (1) aid for searching and selecting, (2) guidance for use, (3) formative evaluation, (4) influence on design practices, (5) professional development and student learning, (6) community building, (7) social recognition, and (8) economic exchange.

Citation
Nesbit, J. C. & Belfer, K. (in press). Collaborative evaluation of learning objects. In R. McGreal (Ed.) Online education using learning objects. London: Routledge/Falmer.

Contact

Associate Professor
Interactive Arts and Technology
Simon Fraser University
604-268-7410

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