Student Needs Assessment Group Status Update – Nov. 24, 2010
One of four subgroups to the Learning Management System Exploratory Task Force, the “Student Needs Assessment” group is tasked with assessing and reporting on the needs of students with regard to an LMS.
Several sources of information about students are available, and will be considered by the group, including:
- The recent ECAR study, which provides both national and UW data
- Survey data that UW campuses are willing to make available to us
- Publications such as the Educause Review Sept/Oct issue related to students and engagement
The group is drafting questions that will help us determine what we need to know from and about our students. The final list of questions will be used to compare to available data and determine if we need to gather even more information to assist in answering the original question… What do students need/desire to have, related to learning, that a Learning Management System can facilitate?
Other questions being considered:
- How has instructor use of technology influenced student learning?
- Do students feel they receive adequate support in using the current LMS?
- What instructional technologies support today’s student learning experience?
- Should the LMS integrate with social media and web 2.0 technologies as part of the interface?
- Is it desirable for the LMS interface to navigate and “respond” like Facebook or other popular sites?
The group is developing a work plan which will include a setting a deadline for gathering data and determining how we will review it. Updates will be posted as work progresses.
Respectfully ubmitted by Sharon McCarragher 11/29/2010