Chapter 3

MALL Content Evaluation

John, youngin Lee

01. Theoretical Background

Considering the advancement in technologies related to hardware & software,

there is a need to re-evaluate, revise, and modify the current existing software evaluation
criteria and checklists.

1. Selection of MALL Content

Researchers in MALL suggest using content evaluation criteria and checklists in selecting
MALL content to ensure objective and systematic evaluation and selection.

2. Evaluation Criteria and Evaluation Checklist

page
General appearance
Is the page attractive? Why/ Why not?
Clarity
Is the page clear? Can you read the information easily?
Use of color
Are the colors attractive?
Do they help to make the information easy to read?
Ease of use
Is it easy to move around the page, or to move on to other pages? Is there anything on
the page that distracts your attention from the most important information?
Presentation and accuracy
Are there any spelling or grammar mistakes?
Multimedia
Does the page make good use of pictures, sound, animation or video? Does the page
take a long time to appear?
Interest
Is the page interesting? Why/Why not?
Other criteria

Marks/5 Comment

2. Evaluation Criteria and Evaluation Checklist

comment
How accurate is the information?
How do you know?
Who provides the information?
How much do they knew about the topic?
Is more than one side of the argument presented?
How up-to-date is the information?
(Add your own questions)
What is your opinion of this Web document?
Table 3.2 Evaluation checklist for the webpage content
(Windeatt, Hardisty, & Easement, 2000, p.41)

3. Evaluation Procedure
Evaluation criteria, procedures, tools, and methods have not been openly introduced to individual teachers.
In turn, there are few research studies on the effectiveness and efficiency of MALL content evaluation
process and methods.
The Council of Ministers of Education (1985) laid out the procedure for CALL content evaluation
Accompanying materials and peripheral parts related to the content such as manual,
teachers guide, and users
guide need to be evaluated.
The content as a whole is evaluated for general impression and format.
The content is evaluated in detail using a content checklist.

02. MALL Content Evaluation Criteria and Evaluation Checklists

MALL Content Evaluation Criteria and Elements

There is no absolute or perfect set of criteria or checklists for MALL content evaluation,
but in order to efficiently evaluate the various types of information the content has, evaluation criteria
and checklists that look into both general and specific aspects should be used.

1. Aims and objectives

Learning and teaching goals and objectives need to be presented on the first page, cover, user manual, or
the open page of the program or content.
2. Administrative elements
Teachers and students should be able to easily access information such as the title of the program, authors,
publishers, the date of publication, price, service environment, program types, and other basic administrative
elements.
3. Pedagogical elements
-Learning objective
-Learning content
-Feedback
-Assessment

4. Technical elements
-Screen play
-Color, sound, graphics, and moving pictures
-Ease of use and stability
-Voice (or text) recognition
-Link-up with the Web
-Authorability

5. Implementation and supportive elements

-Suitability of supportive materials
-Management system and ease of implementation

6. Ethical elements
-Discrimination/ Bias/ Violence and sexually suggestive content/ Access to the harmful sites

7. Final assessment

03. The Implementation of MALL Content Evaluation

1. Evaluation Tools
Evaluation checklists Descriptive questionnaires Interview

2. Evaluation Procedure and Methods

Evaluation criteria

Elements

Quantitative evaluation

1. Aims & Objectives

Learning and teaching goals

2. Administrative elements

Author(s), Year Published, Email/Homepage, etc.

3. Pedagogical elements

1)
2)
3)
4)

Learning objectives
Learning content
Feedback
Assessment

20
12
10

4. Technical elements

1) Screen display
2) Colors, sounds, graphics,
and moving pictures
3) Ease of use and stability
4) Voice recognition
5) Link-up with the Web
6) Authorability

5
5
6
6
4
4

5. Implementation and
supportive elements

1) Suitability of supportive
materials
2) Management system and
ease of implementation

4
6
(100)

Qualitative evaluation

Description of positive and

negative points of each subelement

Opinion and suggestions for

improvement of the program

6. Ethical elements

1)
2)
3)
4)

Discrimination
Bias
Violence
Access to the
harmful sites

Appropriateness
or
inappropriateness

7. Final assessment

Description of synthetic judgement based on quantitative and qualitative

evaluation of each sub-element

Table 3.3 MALL content evaluation criteria and elements, and methods

04. Conclusion
1. It can be said that evaluation, selection, and implementation of appropriate MALL content require
all those who are involved teachers, professional, evaluators, organizations and institutions,
and specialists to be responsible and come together as a team.
2. To address the lack of awareness in MALL content evaluation, this chapter introduces simple
and comprehensive content evaluation criteria and checklists appropriate for EFL classrooms in Korea
based on previous research.
3. In conclusion, the teachers in current EFL classrooms are more multimedia friendly and aware than
before. In fact, many classrooms are quite knowledgeable and experienced in using computers and PLDs.
4. MALL content developers, organizations for the content evaluation, MEST, provincial offices of education,
and others should make database, resources, and facilities available for teachers to evaluate the content
and refer to previous evaluations conducted.