Session Title: Use of Needs Assessment for the Evaluation of Online Education in Higher Education

Time & Date: 11:50 A.M. – 12:35 P.M., Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Location: Rm. 185, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC)

Session Description: Despite extensive discussion (Frydenberg, 2002; MYU, 2002; OCEP, 2006; The Sloan Consortium, 1997) on the topic of evaluation of online education during the last decade, little attention has been paid to the significance of the use of a needs assessment. Distance education educators often hastily come to a conclusion without thorough reviews, effective identification of gaps, careful plans and optimal implementation. It is important to identify and assess the gaps in existing practices in the evaluation of online education in order to ensure the high-quality of education in an online environment. A needs assessment helps ask the appropriate questions in order to get the necessary answers because a needs assessment “identifies gaps in results, places them in order of priority and selects the most important for closure or reduction.” (Watkins and Kaufman, 1996) As a result of a needs assessment, a realistic and measurable solution should be put into place. In this paper we examine three major components in regards to the quality of online program management, evaluation of learning management systems, and evaluation of the processes used for existing instructional design models.

Conference Stream: Learning & Teaching

Session Format: Paper Jam

Co-Presenter: Sunah Cho

Co-Presenter Bio: Dr. Sunah Cho is an Instructional Designer/Project Manager for the Office of Learning Technology at the University of British Columbia.

Co-Presenter: Donna Scalzo

Co-Presenter Bio: Donna Scalzo is an Instructional Designer/Project Manager for the Office of Learning Technology at the University of British Columbia. She is also an online instructor.