The evaluation of the ELLN Digital pilot was conducted by the IDRC-funded TPD@Scale Coalition for the Global South in 2017 (TPD@Scale Coalition), and published in 2018 (ELLN Digital Evaluation); jointly funded by DL4D and USAID’s Philippine-American Fund.
Conducted by experts from the University of Western Australia and the Education University of Hongkong, the study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the TPD, a blended learning version of the established face-to-face ELLN course.
Data were collected via end-of-course survey; pre- and post-course assessments of teacher pedagogical and content knowledge, and teacher strengths and needs; interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in six case study schools.
Qualitative findings and an end-of-course survey indicate that participating teachers and school principals were positive about the course, its design, and content. They were generally of the opinion that valuable learning had occurred and had impacted on teaching practice and on children’s learning. Teachers were generally positive about the blended learning model, which combined a community of practice (the “Learning Action Cell” or LAC) with a CD courseware intended to be studied prior to LAC meetings in a flexible, self-paced learning mode.
Quantitative findings on teacher learning indicate that the pedagogical and content knowledge of participating teachers were significantly better in the post-test overall, with some variation between the subgroups of teachers.