Summative and Formative Evaluations of Internet-Based Teaching

Abstract

Teaching is a communication process in which a body of knowledge is delivered from an instructor to students (Gagne, 1985). This communication traditionally takes place in a classroom. With the proliferation of computer software and hardware at low costs and the ease of access to the World Wide Web, one should expect that the use of Internet and related information technologies will foster an alternative teaching environment. Previous works have reported on various Internet-based teaching aids such as using e-mail, posting information on a Web page and using the Internet to search for additional class materials. Integrating these teaching media in a larger framework of Distance Learning and Virtual Class (Hiltz, 1994), they would provide a synergistic effect in helping students acquire the desired body of knowledge efficiently. From this perspective, we discuss a framework for summative and formative evaluations of Internet-based teaching in higher education. The timely evaluation is necessary for the development and implementation of a new teaching/learning environment. It will assure that the technology meets the intended pedagogic goal of teaching by taking into account feedback from student-users.