Monitoring and Evaluating Virtual Programs: What Should We Look at?

Virtual and blended learning has become increasingly prominent in the educational landscape as a means of addressing the many challenges linked to accessible and equitable learning. Over the past year, many programs have shifted to virtual and blended delivery to comply with safety precautions posed by the pandemic. However, does the urgent need to shift to this distance learning mode affect the quality of learning and program effectiveness? AMIDEAST has been concerned with this question since its English language programs across ten countries went online in March 2019 - with synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid-model classes for young and adult learners. Providing training to AMIDEAST teachers on planning and delivering virtual and blended classes and orienting learners on the e-learning platform used in running these classes became needed steps in preparation for such a major shift. But the question regarding the quality of learning and effectiveness of these virtual classes remained unanswered. From an evaluation standpoint, there was a need to track certain online constructs for both learners and teachers to ensure that an acceptable level of program quality, efficiency, and effectiveness was achieved in this type of program. Consequently, AMIDEAST designed a pilot study to monitor and evaluate a number of teaching and learning constructs perceived to affect the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of virtual classes.

In this session, the managers of this pilot study will share the methodology and tools used, as well as early insights about monitoring teachers’ readiness as they develop their competencies in planning and managing virtual classes, and about evaluating teaching and learning constructs that affect the quality of learning and program efficiency and effectiveness in virtual programs.