CHALLENGES IN EVALUATING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The shift towards constructivism in e-learning creates new opportunities in the modern school and favors the introducing of novel technologies able to promote a learner-centered approach and increase the students’ motivation to learn. In general, novel technologies are expensive and the costs are not only related to the hardware and software platform. The implementation in the traditional school requires additional costs for maintenance, content development, and training. Therefore, the first key concern when evaluating such e-learning systems is to capture the added value brought in by the novel technology. The third key concern is the acceptability of a new system. The evaluation of technology acceptance requires a quantitative approach based on larger models that include several factors, such as: characteristics of the system, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, relevant social aspects, and perceived enjoyment. A problem is the target user: most studies in the e-learning domain are only based on students’ perception. This is mainly because quantitative methods require a minimum sample size which is easier to collect from students. However, the teachers’ opinions are also important as well as the opinion of managers which finally decide if it is worth to adopt a novel technology.