The evaluation of information and communication technology use in professional schools

Peter Gabor
The University of Calgary
Canada
Carol Ing
Lethbridge College
Canada

The past ten years have seen a dramatic increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in post secondary education. A full range of models, ranging from the use of ICT as an enhancement within one or more courses to situations where information and communication technologies have become the sole mode of delivery for entire programs, are now in use. This remarkable revolution has been accompanied by a debate between proponents and skeptics. Nowhere has this debate been more pronounced than in faculties and schools concerned with professional education, where the educational process focuses not only on knowledge and skills but also on values.

Unfortunately, the debate has not been enlightened by outcome studies on the effectiveness and impacts of ICT use in professional schools, or in post secondary education generally. The existing literature is replete with descriptions of models and approaches, and with testimonial and anecdotal reports of novel uses of ICT. However, the outcomes of these efforts on learning are largely unknown. The literature does provide some reports of students' satisfaction and experiences within programs. While knowing the level of students' satisfaction or understanding their experiences is important, most program evaluators would not consider these as indicators of learning outcomes. Without knowing the learning outcomes, the existing state of knowledge and understanding about the effects of ICT use is incomplete; nevertheless, the use of ICT in post secondary education is increasing. Indeed, it is no longer rare to find entire programs delivered through information and communication technologies.

This paper will describe the type of evaluation studies that are needed to understand how the increasing incorporation of ICT into professional education impacts the learning process. The studies should address knowledge, skill and value related outcomes within courses and across entire programs. Outcomes should be assessed not only at the conclusion of the course or program, but also at appropriate points thereafter once students have had professional practice experience. Most importantly, the studies should be designed to allow fair comparisons with the outcomes of students who attend more traditional programs. Finally, efficiency-oriented evaluations are needed to look at the outcomes of ICT use in relation to the costs.

Although there are numerous methodological and practical problems to designing and implementing such evaluation studies, this is a challenge that should be met. Well designed outcome studies can contribute significantly to our understanding of appropriate uses and effects of ICT in professional education, as well as in post secondary education generally.