A study of business strategy was carried out in 86 organizations in the crop protection industry. A multi-operational approach was used to enable validation of data by triangulation, including cognitive mapping used in an unusual way. This provided an unintended opportunity to conduct a comparative evaluation of interactive investigational methods in a relatively controlled, if unsophisticated manner. Results were interesting enough to suggest that further investigation is needed into the impact of various subject-generated factors such as face validity on methodological effectiveness, as well as more traditional criteria such as construct validity of particular methods. Accordingly, process issues affecting repertory grids, cognitive mapping and software for the analysis of cognitive maps (COPE) are de&bed and discussed. Recommendations are made for improvements to mapping and software and further studies suggested.
Overview of the seriesThe Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University has now been in operation for 10 years. Its main aim is to improve the educational effectiveness of the University's systems and courses through research, development, and evaluation.During the past three years, members of IET have worked closely together with members of the Technology faculty to produce a new foundation course, 'Living With Technology'. The course is unique in two respects: firstly, in taking seriously the application of educational technology to the course design process, and secondly in being subjected to the largest-scale evaluation effort ever conducted at the Open University. The results of the evaluation are illuminating in the sense of providing data on the sffectiveness of many course design strategies.This article, 'A New Model of Course Development', is the first in a series of five, each cobcentrating on what has been learned from the evaluation of 'Living With Technology (TIOl)'. It sets the scene for the four forthcoming articles by discussing the philosophy underlying the development of the course. The paper then describes a new model of course development designed to evaluate and revise TlOl in the light of student and tutor feedback. The model uses a number of different methods to evaluate the various multi-media components of the course and each is described in d,etail. Finally, the paper discusses the process by which the feedback data is transformed into revisions.The four future articles will focus on the results of the evaluation:-'Taking Study Skills Seriously' describes and evaluates the innovative approach that has been taken to the development of study skills in the course -'Teaching Basic Numeracy from Scratch' describes and evaluates the unique way in which the course has approached the teaching of numeracy skills. -'Helping Students to Learn from Broadcasting' describes and evaluates the strategy used in the course to develop students' viewing and listening skills -'Do Ed Tech Tricks Really Affect Learning? describes the effectiveness of various teaching strategies used to aid learning in the Technology Foundation Course. These strategies (the ed tech tricks) include, for example, aims and objectives, study guides, self-assessment questions, etc.Learning from Evaluation at the Open University 12 1 us, our children and grandchildren: consequently, we all need some understanding of the ways in which such decisions are being taken and of the factors involved m reaching them. Without this basic level of understanding or 'technological literacy', we lack the equipment with which to engage in the debates which will affect the way we live and perhaps die. Whether we are involved or not in the decision-making process, these decisions will be taken; but without our participation, there can be no guarantee that they will produce the kind of future we want. 'Living with Technology' aims to demystify technology and to make it accessible, relevant and interesting to all. In this sense, it is...
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