Evaluating trans-national tele-learning demonstrator projects: Design and methodology

What is an effective methodology for the evaluation of trans-national projects whose purpose is to demonstrate some aspects of telecommunications-supported distance education, or tele-learning? By their nature, such tele-learning demonstrator projects frequently involve technologies new to many of the participants as well as many organizational complexities given the number of partners - course providers, educational institutions in different countries, telecommunications providers, and educational specialists — involved. This paper suggests a methodological framework and design features for the evaluation of such projects built upon the assumption that finding a key focus for the evaluation, of interest to all of the major stakeholders, is a critical step. In addition, the value of a responsive rather than a preordinate model or the evaluation as well as the choice of case-study methodology is argued. A generic evaluation plan is developed, involving on-going multiple case studies transected at regular intervals by cross-case analysis events. The plan is illustrated by its current application to a major trans-national tele-learning project, TeleScopia, involving courses developed by six course providers, adapted for trans-European offer via a variety of applications of advanced telecommunications.