Evaluating digital libraries for teaching and learning in undergraduate education: A case study of the Alexandria Digital Earth ProtoType (ADEPT)

THIS IS A DISCUSSION ON THE RESEARCH DESIGN FOR AN educational evaluation o f the Alexandria Digital Earth ProtoType (ADEPT), a digital library of gee- referenced information resources. ADEPT is being studied in undergraduate c lassrooms at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The article provides a brief review of the de ployment of digital libraries in educational settings, the role of informat ion technology in developing students' scientific thinking, and the evaluat ion of digital libraries. We outline the overall research design, report on progress to date, and describe plans for the remainder of the five-year pr oject. The article concludes with initial observations about classroom envi ronments for using ADEPT and about the initial deployment of ADEPT prototyp es.