Participatory evaluation to outline guidelines for an e-learning model into university courses. The case of “flipped classroom x moocs” project

This paper belongs to a final scientific dissemination activity of the research project “Edoc@Work 3.0 - Education and work on the cloud”, funded by M.I.U.R. and U.E. on the topic: “Smart Cities and Communities and Social Innovation”. Within the project Edoc@Work 3.0, it had been managed an experimental university model called “Flipped classroom x MOOCs” aimed at the definition of Guidelines for planning a following e-learning model into the University of Salento in the South of Italy. “Flipped classroom x MOOCs” had involved some university courses at the University of Salento starting with participatory planning activities oriented to teachers/students and focused on how to plan/develop/evaluate an experimental model of Flipped classroom per MOOCs in their courses. After the experimentation of the model of “Flipped classroom per MOOCs”, for the purpose of the project, a participatory evaluation activity had provided a report containing useful information to write the Guidelines for planning a e-learning model into the University of Salento. The participatory evaluation activity joined together: the objectives of the University through the project, the international standards through the recommendations of the main meta-analyses and the needs of the teachers and students involved into the experimental university model of “Flipped Classroom x MOOCs” through the results of a Swot-relational procedure. In the framework of Fourth Generation Evaluation and Empowerment Evaluation, evaluation as a learning process, is a means to achieve a more effective evaluation but can be seen as an end if it promotes collective learning process making more inclusive and democratic the knowledge - decision - action processes. From this point of view, evaluation had both enhanced organizational learning process and improved a shared culture for educational planning/evaluation in the University useful to deal with the complexity of the educational challenges of the contemporary world. The evaluation, therefore, assumes a knowledge-value as it’s oriented to understand the experience achieved from the point of view of the actors who took part into the project. In addition, the evaluation assumes a formative-value as reflective activity, not just on the achievement as compared to the strategies used by the actors to reach them.