Evaluating e-Learning

"Education scholars Phillips, Carmel McNaught , and Gregor Kennedy offer a step-by-step guide to designing and conducting a study evaluating electronic learning, particularly addressing acknowledged weaknesses in the quality of research so far. They intend the book to be used by practitioners and researchers in formal and informal settings."--Reference and Research Book News

Julie-Ann Sime Lancaster University (Areas of speciality: E-learning, evaluation, research methods)

I would recommend this book to my distance learning, doctoral students in e-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning, as it provides a good source of evaluation methods, models and frameworks as well as presenting international examples of practice.

This book is particularly appealing because it is not based on a single approach to evaluation of e-learning but gives an overview of a range of methods appropriate for a variety of situations from an educator wanting to improve practice in small ways to evaluation of development projects. It adopts a pragmatic approach and is illustrated by case studies including mixed methods approaches that adopt 3 different perspectives on evaluation. This multi-perspective approach is particularly distinctive and appealing.

Alejandro Armellini, University of Leicester (Areas of specialty:Peadagogy in online learning environments, learning technologies)

It certain would sell copies overseas, especially given the origins of the authors and likely endorsements.

I would steer clear of topics on which hundreds of books have already been written (eg the typical research methods stuff, such as instruments, validity, triangulation, paradigms…) instead, I’d focus on the specifics of evaluating e-learning – what makes e-learning evaluation different from other forms of educational research?