Experience with Change Evaluations suggests the need for better learning designs: one possibility for mathematics

A Change Evaluation was conducted in the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, at the University of Wollongong (UOW) with a view to identifying which resources to improve in order to facilitate better student learning outcomes. One hundred and thirty students took the subject MATH151 during the autumn term of the 2010 academic year with 101 students responding to the evaluation questionnaire. Data collection was used to discover which resources had the greatest potential for improvement or replacement and to examine if the structure of the subject could be improved for better student understanding and learning. The survey was also employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-learning page, and this led to an emphasis on finding an alternative learning design. Several possible approaches to learning designs are discussed.