How can you evaluate e-learning for learners with different levels of prior knowledge?

Prior knowledge or lack of has an enormous impact on learner engagement. You can take the same content and one learner won't engage as they are experts in that particular area whilst another learner may be overwhelmed by the content. I often find e-learning attempts to resolve this by separating learners into different courses, I prefer a different approach. If you differentiate the content throughout the course increasing the level of understanding as you go, you can utilise questions and engaging activities to assess the learners understanding. If they clearly know the topic you can use a "rabbit hole" to take them to a more challenging section. If they are unsure you can support and reinforce their learning there and then.

Prior Knowledge matters because when instructing a group of people or a class from different educative/professional backgrounds and cultures, it is necessary to know how much/or what the learners know about the topic. Learners will not start the course/training on the same foot or level playing field which might lead to frustration or loss of interest in the course or field. Instructors need to gauge where the learners are at the beginning of the course and have options built into the e-learning course. For example, have optional readings and quizzes available for learners who might not have the schema for the topic.

Prior Knowledge Assessment can include Identify Prior Knowledge Levels: Conduct pre-assessments to gauge learners' existing knowledge and skills related to the e-learning course content. Differentiate Instruction: Tailor the e-learning content and activities to address the specific needs of learners at different knowledge levels. Provide Scaffolding: Offer support and guidance to learners with lower prior knowledge, while providing enrichment opportunities for those with higher prior knowledge.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult to measure prior knowledge of learners well before starting to set up a course and then put it online. This is all the more difficult today, at least in higher education, as one of the evolutions of recent decades is the very high mobility of learners. In these circumstances, it is essential to adopt very flexible curricula, as classes are much less homogeneous than before. Such flexibility also allows courses to be adapted to learners in continuing or vocational education. Under these conditions, the curriculum must be aimed at learners with a wide range of previous skills, with initial modules enabling everyone to reach the level required to be able to follow the rest of the course.

I would broaden the scope from "evaluate" to "design". Typical eLearning is guilty of cognitive information overload and a "one size fits all" approach. Instead, design the eLearning with application in mind. For example, if the training is around the use of a software, create a persona and multiple scenarios which require the learner to perform activities such as simulations and branching interactions. If a user is stuck in an activity, they can navigate to a dedicated information section where they can access demos, conceptual explanations, or job aids. For those who are proficient, they can progress through without needlessly sifting pages of information.