As you develop new materials, you first need to evaluate what you have and what else you need. Some materials are probably still useful: 1) They are not outdated; the information is still accurate and the tone still timely. 2) They have been tested and still provide learners with activities for skill development or thought-provoking ideas for discussion. 3) They allow learners to interact with them independently as well as within a group, and they permit myriad responses. 4) They are cost effective and available for use with your online classes.

For example, if you are trying to determine whether a role-playing scenario is still useful to your class, you might apply these guidelines in the following ways:

1. The scenario is generic enough to fit current situations. The language is modern, but not so trendy that it sounds outdated. The scenario also involves issues that are timeless (e.g., academic honesty, development of good interpersonal relationships, group dynamics) and are still of current interest.

2. Little skill development might be apparent in the roleplaying exercise, but the way individual learners enact their roles is different each time the scenario is run. Discussion usually is lively with this activity, and it is a good mechanism for getting learners to work together in a group.

3. Each person involved in the role-playing exercise has to act out a character. The ways that character is played and he or she communicates with other characters differ because new learners bring their unique personalities to the role play. The actor determines which key discussion points will be introduced through the character’s words and actions. Each learner works independently, but, because this is a group role-playing exercise, with further reports on the exercise to the class as a whole, group interaction also is important. The exercise works well at both the individual and group levels.

4. This activity is cost effective, because learners use e-mail, the bulletin board, the chat room, the whiteboard, and/or other tools available in the classroom to complete the assignment. No extra costs are incurred, and although the technology may change, the group interactions can always take place. (For example, learners may use voicemail, voice e-mail, phone conversations, or videoconferences in more technologically advanced courses, but use print e-mail, the bulletin board, and text conversations in the chat room for less technologically sophisticated classrooms.) The role-playing assignment seems like a keeper. It is effective and efficient, and it still meets the pedagogical requirements established for that assignment. The following example is one that may need to be modified. In another assignment, learners answer questions in an online questionnaire to help them determine their Internet IQ. The questionnaire has been used for four years in all introductory classes before learners have to use the Internet as a source of information for their assignments. This term, however, the free Web site with the questionnaire is not an active link, but a longer version of the questionnaire has taken its place.

Unfortunately, to use the longer version, learners (or the institution) must pay a fee for processing the responses and interpreting the results. The resulting feedback is of a higher quality than the data from the self-scored, short version of the questionnaire. The information on the questionnaire has been updated to reflect current Internet usage and concerns about information security.

As you evaluate the assignment and whether it should remain a part of the course requirements, you might consider the following:

1. Is the information still timely?

You might need to determine if learners need this selfassessment, or if another questionnaire would be more helpful. If the purpose of the assignment is to determine a learner’s probable success in using the Internet, then the longer questionnaire or another similar assessment may still be valuable to people taking an online course for the first time. If, however, your class consists of learners who have taken online classes other places or who routinely work with the Internet as part of their business, this type of assessment may not be as valuable as it has been with groups of novice online learners.

2. What is the questionnaire’s purpose? What does the questionnaire do?

It definitely requires learners to complete an online survey, which is a skill that may be useful. A self-assessment tool can be helpful to individual learners as they find out more about themselves and understand what is required of them for success in online educational programs. Individuals could follow up by writing an essay explaining how they reacted to the results and how they might integrate the findings into their academic planning or study habits. The results of the individual or group responses could be discussed during a chat session or through a series of bulletin board posts. You need to determine if the “bang” is worth the “buck” that learners or the institution will have to pay for using this assessment. If the activities associated with using the questionnaire are still valuable, then the newer version of the questionnaire should be used in class.

3. How are individual or group activities used to follow up using the questionnaire’s data?

Results of the questionnaire are based on each learner’s responses, which is an individual activity. Writing an essay, for example, is another individual follow-up activity. If the results are discussed within the group or used to develop group activities, the assignment can be useful at both the individual and group levels.

4. How cost effective is the use of the questionnaire for the skills and knowledge that learners gain from using it?

Because a monetary cost is now associated with a longer version of the questionnaire, you need to determine if the cost is worth the benefit to individual learners and to the class as a group. If learners are asked to pay an additional fee, will they do it? Will the cost be prohibitive? If the institution is asked to pay the fee, will costs for the course go up? Is the additional cost important to the educational quality of the class? Are similar fees charged in other courses within the curriculum?

You should also research whether you have only two alternatives: to use the longer, paid version of the questionnaire or not to use the questionnaire. Are similar questionnaires offered free at other sites? Is another short form available through another vendor or Web site? Are other questionnaires, measuring other variables, useful to the class in place of this questionnaire? Can you develop a reliable, valid questionnaire? Doing a cost-benefit analysis of this item can help you decide how to modify the current assignment, or to delete it from the syllabus.

These kinds of evaluations should take place for each assignment listed in the syllabus. You need to decide which materials are still relevant, which need to be revised, and which need to be replaced. Then you know how many activities you have to keep and how many new activities need to be developed. The overriding concern should be the continuing high quality of the course and the way the materials and activities support and develop learners’ skills and knowledge base.