I’m not sure how it came across my electronic desk but earlier this week the following press release came to my attention:
The press release begins with:
In an independent report on educational technologies, MDR’s market research service EdNET Insight ranked K12 Inc. the leading provider of online curriculum to school districts across the United States. Based on large-scale surveys of instructional and technology decision makers at the district level, the report shows that more respondents named K12 as their provider of choice for online content than any other provider.
Not to take anything away from K12, Inc. receiving this distinction, but as the report indicates its purpose is “to help you understand the ramifications for your business of developments in education, technology, and the education industry” (p. ii). It is a marketing survey, in much the same way that the blind taste tests between Coke and Pepsi in the 1980s and 1990s were. Only in this case the taste test isn’t blind. Unfortunately, the free previews of the report don’t provide access to the actual methodology, beyond indicating that it is based on surveys with school district personnel responsible for instructional and technology decision making.
Knowing the methodology is important, only because it would tell us what the survey questions were. For example, if these personnel were asked:
1. Based on your knowledge of the market, what K-12 online learning content provider has the highest quality content?
The response to that question is going to be premised or based on two things: a) any actual experience with the products and/or providers, and b) any knowledge of the products and/or providers. Now if the question is answered based on a), then the response is based upon the individual’s use of and assessment of the actual curriculum. However, if the individual hasn’t used any or many of the K-12 online learning provider’s materials, their response is largely based upon knowledge of the companies – where simply marketing can have a large and misleading role.
Compare that situation with this kind of survey methodology.
You are asked to spend no less than 10 minutes and no more than 30 minutes using the K-12 online learning curriculum from each of these XXX providers. At the end of the session, please rank the providers based on the following:
1. How easy was the curriculum to use in terms of the logic and sequential flow of its navigation?
2. How appropriate was the presentation of the materials for the specific age group it was intended to reach?
3. How effective were the pedagogical strategies that were incorporated into the curriculum?
4. How engaging was the use of various types of media in the curriculum?
In this situation, those who were surveyed were in a position to make an informed, intelligent ranking based on actual use and pedagogical consideration of the various online learning provider’s curriculums. Which of these two methods were used? We don’t know for sure unless you purchase the report! Although if I was a betting man, I’d wager on the first method.
So what do we know at this stage, based on this information? Basically, this is an industry survey, conducted by a marketing company. Based on the limited amount of information provided by both K12, Inc. and MDR’s market research service EdNET Insight, what this says is that K12, Inc. could have the best online curriculum out there; or it might simply say that K12, Inc. has the best marketing out there. From an education standpoint, that isn’t useful information.
