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“Evaluation is the process of determining the adequacy of instruction and learning” (Seels & Richey, 1994, p.54). Throughout my coursework I have gained knowledge and skills in criterion-referenced measurement, formative, and summative evaluation in order to evaluate the adequacy of instruction. By utilizing these processes I have demonstrated the specifications for the Evaluation Standard. My experience with Standard 5.2, Criterion-Referenced Measurement, occurred during IT 651 Systematic Design of Performance Technology. In this course I worked with a team of individuals to design an eight-hour workshop [IT 651 MyPyramid Workshop pdf file size 44.6 MB]. This workshop was designed to teach a K-12 school’s cafeteria staff about the new food pyramid, entitled MyPyramid. We began this project by conducting a needs assessment, context analysis, learner analysis, and learner task analysis to analyze the present conditions at this particular school. Based on the results of these assessments, we created specific learning objectives that would be addressed during our instruction. These objectives contained specific content that would demonstrate mastery of the subject matter. After creating the learning objectives, we developed different assessment tools to measure each individual’s performance based on these objectives. If the individual scored well on these assessments, they had achieved mastery. The use of criterion-referenced measurements in this project was effective for the assessment of the instruction provided in this workshop. My experience with Standard 5.3, Formative and Summative Evaluation, occurred during IT 654 Program Evaluation. In this course I also worked with a team of individuals to analyze the current Alumni Association Programs at SUNY Potsdam [IT 654 Alumni Association Program Evaluation pdf file size ~1 MB]. We used formative evaluation techniques to gather data about specific aspects of the program in order to determine if they were adequately working. To gather this data, we created surveys, conducted in person and phone interviews, focus groups, and reviewed documents and reports from the Alumni Association. Each aspect of the data-gathering portion of this evaluation was designed for different audiences involved with the Alumni Association to gather a broad perspective of how the program is performing. After the formative evaluation was completed, we concluded by completing a summative evaluation based on our gathered data. The summative evaluation consisted of analyzing the data received from the various tools we used during the formative evaluation and making conclusions about the program's effectiveness. These conclusions were provided to the stakeholders of the program so they could make decisions and modifications about the utilization of the various aspects of the Alumni Program that were analyzed for this project. These experiences have given me the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to evaluate the adequacy of instruction and effectiveness of existing programs. I have effectively implemented Criterion-Referenced Measurements, Formative, and Summative Evaluations throughout my coursework demonstrating my understanding of Standard 5 Evaluation. |