Workshop 13

Evaluating Distance Education Programs

Workshop Description:

This half-day workshop will provide suggestions that you can use to assess
whether distance education and training programs are accessible, appropriate, effective, affordable, and accepted. Emphasis will be placed on identifying, collecting, and analyzing data about:

• Policy and priority directions
• Administrative structures
• Learner, graduate, and non-graduate profiles
• Program design and development
• Program delivery
• Human resources
• Quality assurance

This is not a PowerPoint-driven workshop. Participants will be expected to discuss key issues affecting the success of distance education/online learning and to share their experiences with evaluating their own programs. This session will be of interest to those who need to review existing distance learning programs or those who are considering launching a new program and want to explore the structures and processes that should be taken into account.

Presenter: Dr. Clayton R. Wright

Dr. Clayton R. Wright has been involved in the development and evaluation of distance education programs in Canadian and international settings for the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Commonwealth of Learning, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Digital Diaspora Network for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Dr. Wright has lectured, led workshops, and conducted educational evaluations in many countries. Recently, he assisted faculty with the development of courses and quality assurance systems at institutions such as the Bangladesh Open University, the Botswana Ministry of Education Open Distance Learning Teacher Training Program, the National Institute for Open Schooling in India, Wawasan Open University in Malaysia, the National Open University of Nigeria, and the Sri Lankan Open School. Thus, he brings an international focus to our theme: “e-Learning Comes Together.” Dr. Wright has secondary and postsecondary teaching and administrative experience in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta. In 2001, he facilitated the discussion that led to the formation of the Manitoba Association for Distributed Learning and Training (MADLaT).