EDU 6250 Blog Post 3: A Learning Object Evaluation Scale for Students

Summary

How do we know which interactive web-based tools are best for our student learning? So many of these tools are quickly popping up and they look so neat, but are they really “enhancing, amplifying and/or guiding the cognitive process of learners?”  This would be part of Kay and Knaack’s definition of a Learning Object.  The other part is “an interactive web-based tool that supports the learning concepts.”  They note most people who evaluate the effectiveness of these learning objects are the ones who develop or design the learning object.  This study, along with other studies, is trying to come up with ways to evaluate how the learning object measures knowledge.  Kay and Knaack’s study created a list of key factors to evaluate with each learning object: interactivity, accessibility, a specific conceptual focus, reusability, meaningful scaffolding, and learning.

Reflection

The data is very complicated and difficult to read.  It also states there needs to be more research before users implement the Learning Object Evaluation Scale for Students, but it does offer some great guidance when evaluating a tool. 

Since learning objects are changing ever so quickly, will we be able to use an evaluation tool and get enough data from students with it before the new version, or the better learning object is out?  Logically, it seems like an evaluation scale would by key to a district. 

A quote that really stuck out to me from this article, “No technology will transform the learning process.  Learning objects are simply tools used in a complex educational environment where decisions on how to use these tools may have considerably more import than the actual tools themselves.” (p.161).  

References

Kay, R. & Knaack, L. (2009). Assessing learning, quality and engagement in learning objects: the Learning Object Evaluation Scale for Students (LOES-S). Educational Technology Research & Development, 57(2), 147-168. Doi:10.1007/s11423-008-9094-5