Marketing Approaches to Secure Lecturers' Involvement in 
the Evaluation of Learning Technology.
Phil Barker1, Helen Jackson1, Andrew Wallace2, Steve Rothberg2, Fiona Lamb2  and Gwen Marples3 
1 Institute for Computer-Based Learning, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS. 
2 Faculty of Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3TU. 
3 Centre for Advances in Higher Education, University of Northumbria, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE7 
7XA.
Main contact: Phil Barker PhilB@icbl.hw.ac.uk
EASEIT-Eng (Evaluative & Advisory Support to Encourage Innovative Teaching—Engineering) aims 
to assist engineering academics in selecting computer based learning resources for use in their teaching.  
In order to help them identify software that is right for them and right for their students the project has 
undertaken standardised evaluations of a wide range of computer based learning packages in use in UK 
HE engineering courses.  We are currently on target to perform fifty evaluations covering thirty-four 
packages in use at nineteen HE institutions across the UK. The results of these evaluations are being 
made available to the academic engineering community in the form of short (two sides of A4) case 
studies which can be accessed via a web-based database (for more information see the EASEIT-Eng 
website).
Since "the only real test of any learning material is its use under normal course conditions" (Laurillard 
1993, p 217) in order to have any validity these evaluations have to be conducted while the software is 
being used by real students on a real course.  Such an evaluation requires a degree of commitment from 
the lecturer or tutor who is responsible for the course: it will require a certain amount of intrusion into 
the classroom and require lecturer to spend some time providing the information necessary to adapt the 
evaluation instruments and in contributing their opinion to the evaluation.
This presentation will outline how EASEIT-Eng has identified potential evaluations and reflect on the 
strategies which have proven successful at persuading lecturers to commit to hosting an evaluation. 
This will include discussion of a survey conducted to assess the level of use of computer based learning 
resources in UK HE Engineering courses (Rothberg 2000); how the evaluation methodology was 
designed to minimise intrusion into the lecturer's teaching; how lecturers were contacted and what 
inducements were offered to them in order to secure their involvement.
We believe that as well as offering a brief introduction to an evaluation methodology with the potential 
of wide-spread applicability, this paper will be of interest to the many projects and services in the field 
of Learning Technology that rely on securing practitioner involvement for their success.
References
EASEIT-Eng web site URL: http://www.easeit-eng.ac.uk
Laurillard, D. (1993) Rethinking University Teaching: a framework for the effective use of educational 
technology London: Routledge.
Rothberg S. (2000) Submitted to International Journal of Engineering Education.  Abstract at URL: 
http://www.easeit-eng.ac.uk/pubs/caluse.pdf