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Welcome to the LEARN unit evaluation resource page for members of the UHI. This page, and the resources linked to it, aims
to give you a brief overview of the UHI SCE project. Below you will find a short summary of progress to date, current
issues, the initial pilot stage, second pilot stage, when we aim to have the system fully developed and
operational and its eventual functions etc.
Purpose & achievements
Liz Broumley, the director of the LEARN unit, has chaired the Student Evaluation Steering Group which has drawn
on the resources and expertise that exists within the UHI network. The SESG has met on several occasions, and below is a
summary of its achievements:
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It has been decided that the focus and remit of SESG should be to facilitate the implementation of UHI wide online student
evaluations.
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SESG will consult widely with revelant stakeholders across the UHI network.
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It has been emphasised that the consultation process needs to include student representatives and external organisations such
as the QAA.
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The purpose of evaluations should be to:
- Allow students to reflect on their learning experiences
- Give teaching staff an indication of how their teaching practices are being received by students
- Establish a teaching 'best practice' benchmark
- Identify technical and resource problems at UHI and AP level
- Give students a summary of module specific evaluations, and what is being done to address issues flagged as
problematic
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The purpose of evaluations should under no circumstance be to create performance or league tables.
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To ensure this the LEARN unit will carefully screen statistical data prior to releasing it to the various stakeholders within
the UHI network.
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Some of the results from the first large scale pilot in January/February 2003 are summarised below:
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Dynamic features depend on the availability of reliable data from underlying databases.
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The reliability of underlying databases also impact on student access to the online evaluation instrument.
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User-friendly functions such as a back button would have had a positive impact on the usability of the instrument
- Reports produced
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Summary report of all results produced for UHI Executive Office
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Summary report of relevant information for two academic partners (Perth & Inverness Colleges) regarding their own students
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Detailed statistical reports produced for a number of course teams:
- BA Business Administration
- BA Child And Youth Studies
- BA Cultural Studies
- BSc (Hons) Sustainable Development and Environmental Management
- MSc Infection Control
Current issues
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The LEARN unit is co-operating closely with the UHI Web Engineering Unit based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye to improve
the online evaluation instrument that was piloted during January and February 2003:
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Sean Miadhachain, director of research, and Alistair Young, senior programmer are currently working
to further develop the flash based evaluation instrument for the second large scale pilot during May 2003.
- This second trial aims to further test the instrument's functionalities and in particular certain dynamic features that
were flagged as problematic during the first large scale pilot in January/February 2003. We continue to probe students for
the usability of the interface, and for the overall usefulness of the evaluation process. This trial will encompass a
significant number of students across the UHI network to allow for variations in mode of study (face-to-face, distance,
and e-learning etc.), and ensure that the instrument's functionalities are as fully tested as possible.
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It is anticipated that, over time, the proposed online evaluation system will help establish a detailed longitudinal dataset.
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To utilise this dataset to its full potential we are looking to establish contacts with researchers at other institutions world wide.
- Ultimately we are hoping to be able to deposit a dataset with organisations such as the UK Data Archive.
The results from this initial trial will be published on the LEARN site as part of our commitment to continuously publish
and widely disseminate relevant findings.
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