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Purpose and summary of case study
The purpose of the current research is to present a case study of a digital learning environment (DLE), which is an aggregate of digital resources that are used to facilitate learning. More specifically, the case study herein is based on a meta-evaluation of the eStout program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout). The eStout program is UW-Stout's DLE that began in 2002.
The motive for the evaluation was to determine whether the eStout program was achieving its intended goals. The first goal was to create a cost-effective way for students to learn with digital resources. Although the USA is more prepared and adaptable for DLEs than many other countries, affordability is a huge hindrance to DLEs (Di Battista et al. , 2015). For instance, there was approximately a 37 per cent discrepancy in broadband internet access in households earning US$30,000 or less annually (40 per cent) versus households earning US$75,000 or more annually (87 per cent) in 2010 (Pepper and Garrity, 2015). The costs of the DLE at UW-Stout is already factored into students' tuition so students do not have to pay out-of-pocket for digital resources in their education. Thus, the university can buy software licenses and computer hardware at reduced prices by buying in bulk.
The second goal being evaluated in the eStout program was access to technology. Prior research has revealed that access to technology improves the human quality of life. Recent research shows that out of over 7 billion people in the world, approximately 4.5 billion did not have access to technology (Di Battista et al. , 2015). Again, the inclusion of digital resources in tuition at UW-Stout has ensured equal access to technology among students. By including these costs in tuition, students immediately have access to a personal laptop and other digital resources once they are enrolled at the UW-Stout, and the students maintain this access until they leave the university.
The third goal of the eStout program was to support student learning. In a recent meta-analysis by Zheng et al. (2016), results revealed mixed support for the usefulness of laptops for learning. Although the overall evidence is mixed, there is consensus that laptops improve "21st century learning skills (Zheng et al. ,...