Online Learning Consortium, Tyton Partners Launch Courseware in Context
The Online Learning Consortium, in collaboration with Tyton Partners, has formally released the Courseware in Context (CWiC) Framework.
The
framework is an open suite of resources "designed to help postsecondary
decision-makers make informed selections of digital courseware
products, and support effective adoption and implementation of these
solutions," according to a news release from Tyton Partners. The
consortium said it hopes the framework will help educators "cut through
confusing marketing messages" and tap into "the growing body of
efficacy research studies related to product capabilities."
Components of the framework include:
- A
product taxonomy designed to give educators, instructional designers
and administrators information about courseware product capabilities
and attributes;
- A list of published research to help
instructional designers and administrators make connections between
courseware capabilities and related research; and
- Guides to
help administrators assess practices and policies related to effective
courseware implementation at the course and institution level.
To
further assist educators, instructional designers and administrators,
the consortium developed three freely downloadable instruments:
- The CWiC Product Primer to help identify courseware capabilities during the product exploration and evaluation phases;
- The CWiC Designer to help instructional designers conduct more thorough courseware reviews; and
- The CWiC Framework document, including the product taxonomy, research collection and course- and institution-level implementation guides.
The
consortium released a pilot version of the framework in the summer and
updated it based on feedback.The consortium will continue to update the
framework as the market evolves and as it receives further feedback.
Further information about the framework is available on the Courseware in Context site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].