New software systems, tools of one sort or another and technological advances are appearing all the time but how many of these produce real, positive results in the e-learning sphere? This award is designed to recognise the product that has added the most value by changing how technology is used in learning.
Judges will be looking for demonstrable evidence of:
- An enabling technology that radically enhances the way that e-learning can be created, delivered or deployed.
- Proof of the benefits that the new technology has brought to end user organisations.
- How it differs from what has been used before for similar applications or purposes.
The submission must be supported by hard measures to prove the improvement the new product has brought to its field. These measures might be productivity for development, ease and rapidity for delivery, enhanced quality of presentation, better alignment to working conditions and environment and improved user experience. The evidence presented must be quantifiable through documentation of the user experience. Views of the user are acceptable although ideally these would be compared with similar data prior to the product being implemented. Care should be taken to avoid measures that discuss any content created as a result of the application of the tool. For example a simulation engine may be used to create a learning simulation; the simulation should be entered as content, the means of creating it as a product.
Supporting evidence is required from at least one user, (by which we mean designer, developer, consultant or end user as appropriate) who must state why they feel the product is innovative, and what they found or expected the product to deliver for their organisation. Naturally, a product that has already delivered benefit would have a greater chance of success than one that has not.
Supporting evidence from users is required.
All those shortlisted in this category will be required to give a short presentation about their submission to the judges.