Resumen

COVA, Ángela; ARRIETA, Xiomara  y  REVEROS, Víctor. Análisis y comparación de diversos modelos de evaluación de software educativo. Enlace [online]. 2008, vol.5, n.3, pp.045-067. ISSN 1690-7515.

Analysis and Comparison of Different Models of Educational Software Evaluation Abstract Technologies of information and communication are progressively including greater spaces in human beings´ life, and education experiences its effects. In particular, educational software is necessary, a resource in the teaching-learning process of the subjects contemplated in the curriculum, considering the excessive growth of school registration. Consequently, the importance of evaluation models increases inasmuch as the application of its instruments allows its effective valuation and offers a greater guarantee of its use in those environments. This article’s goal is to analyze and compare some existing models of evaluation, in order to establish the pedagogical and the technical characteristics that determine such products. The guidelines and models proposed by McDougall and Squires (2001), Clarke et al. (1997), Marqués (2005), Díaz et al. (2003) and others, were studies. Taking the descriptive and the interpretative studies as its basis, the relevant characteristics of each one were scored, and it was found that there exist similarities concerning the indicated dimensions. In the pedagogical portion, the software conditions were contemplated with respect to the addressees (age, educational level), teaching (objectives, motivation, feedback, used methodology), content (types, strategies), and learning that promotes application. The second portion comprises its usefulness (the ability to use the resource, access to the program, installation, operation, form of navigation); as well as interface’s characteristics (design of screens, disposition of menus, icons, images, color, graphs, animations). An important conclusion is that the evaluation of educational software is a variable process that is subject to the type of program, the users’ characteristics, teachers´ disposition to its use and availability equipment for its operation.

Palabras clave : Models of Evaluation of Educational Software; Teaching-Learning Process; Multimedia Educational Materials; Educational Computer Science.