ETEC 565A Assignment 1: Online Delivery Platform Evaluation Reflection
This assignment required our group to create a rubric to evaluate a Learning Management System (LMS) called the Yukon Education Student Network (YESNet) in a pilot program for the Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. It is important to thoroughly assess the strengths and weaknesses of YESNet because if it is successful, it will be rolled our across the Yukon’s other 12 First Nations. The primary concerns of YESNet for the Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation is bandwidth and reliability of Internet access as many of the band members rely on mobile 3G technologies. The goal of implementing YESNet would be to develop blended secondary courses that showcase an Aboriginal perspective.
When initially tasked with this assignment, our group immediately referenced Bate’s (2014) SECTIONS framework. SECTIONS provided a good starting point because it outlines each of the high level considerations for selecting an effective LMS: Students, Ease of Use, Costs, Teaching functions, Interaction, Organizational issues, Networking and Security and Privacy. We wanted to create an easy-to-use rubric that would speak to the specific needs of the band and YESNet, so we decided on four main categories to evaluate: Operations, Functionality, Interactivity and Cultural Considerations. Each of these categories had many subtopics.
The operations category includes such things as: costs, maintenance, support and scalability. If the goal is to roll out YESNet acoss Yukon’s other First Nations, it is imperative there is adequate support and budget available. The functionality category of our rubric addresses the bandwidth and Internet connection concerns specific to the Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. This category also aims to evaluate compatibility with blended learning and synchronous and asynchronous communication capabilities. The interactivity category of our rubric addresses the need for student and community engagement. It evaluates what collaborative options are available and to what extent student ownership, participation, collaboration, reporting and assessment are supported by the LMS features. The importance of student-student, student-content, student-teacher interaction is addressed by Anderson (2008). Anderson states that in order to created an effective student-centred learning environment, an interactive community must be established (2008). The final category of cultural consideration highlights the necessity of cultural relevance and inclusion. This category acknowledges the need for multilingual programing, in order to maintain and encourage indigenous languages. The category also addresses the need for community consultation as recommended by McLoughlin & Oliver (2000) and the need for the ability to archive information to share knowledge within the community (Huang, 2015).
One of my biggest learnings from this assignment was the importance to consider context and individual requirements when selecting new technology. While Bate’s SECTIONS (2008) provides an excellent framework, it is not sufficient to apply to every situation. School community needs vary and may not weigh the same importance on each category in the framework. While designing this rubric, I was really struck by how important addressing the specific needs of the “customer” (Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation) really was.
For your reference, here is our rubric. A1Online Delivery Platform Evaluation
References:
Anderson, T. (2008). “Towards a Theory of Online Learning.” Athabasca University. Retrieved from: http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Bates, T. (2014). Chapter 8: Choosing and using media in education: the SECTIONS model, Teaching in digital age. (p. 257 – 291). Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Huang, Yueh-Min. (2015). How do we inspire people to contact aboriginal culture with Web 2.0 technology? Computers and education, 86, 71-83. DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.001.
McLoughlin, C. & Oliver, R. (2000). Designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity: A case study of indigenous online learning at tertiary level. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 16 (1), 58-72.
Image from First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun 2015