The Many Faces of Evaluation

When designing a new product whether a car, television program, or cellular phone, companies spend a lot of time testing and refining the product before selling it. Ford, GM, Chrysler and the other car manufacturers have testing facilities where they test and fine-tune their prototypes. When Motorola or Nokia develop a new cellular phone, they test it to determine if the buttons are in the best location, to see if the text is large enough, and to determine what tones to include for the ringer. Companies test, refine, and test their products again so that they work as expected. Can we apply this same concept of testing to our instructional products? 

Can you imagine building a custom home and never visiting the job site during construction? Most of us would want at least a peek at our new home as it is going up. Others might stop by every day to make sure the 2x4’s are straight, that the windows are in the right spot, the counters are the correct color, and the cartoon character wallpaper goes in the children's bedroom rather than the master bathroom. Once the house is completed, you will probably do a walk through to make sure all the lights work, the cold faucets do indeed have cold water, and that the carpet is nice and smooth. A few years after the children have left home, you might reconsider if this old house is still meeting your needs. Maybe it is time to retire to a smaller cottage beside the lake. These three stages of evaluating a home are similar to the stages of evaluating an instructional product. Consider the following questions.

1. What are the purposes of evaluation?
2. When and why do we evaluate an instructional product?
3. What are the differences and similarities between formative, summative, and confirmative evaluation?

Read pages 238 to 247.

Think of a unit of instruction that you might design for a class you now teach or might teach in the future. Identify one or more formative, summative, and confirmative questions you might ask.

You can find our answer here.

Have you ever taken a test and wondered if the instructor had distributed the wrong test? It may have seemed like you studied the wrong book and the wrong notes. When developing tests, it is essential that your test items and performance measures accurately assess the objectives. In this reading, we will examine the nature of performance measures. Consider the following questions as your read.

1. What is the relationship between objectives and test items?
2. How can I make sure my tests are valid?
3. What does reliability have to do with tests?

Read pages 247 to 254.

Listed below are test items for four different objectives. For each objective, select the best test item or items to assess student performance.

Objective: Demonstrate how to change a flat tire.

1. List the steps for changing a tire on a 1947 Dodge.
2. The principal's Mercedes has a flat, left rear tire. Take his keys and change the flat tire.
3. You are rushing home to meet your curfew time when your right front tire goes flat. Describe how you would fix the problem.

Objective: Use your calculator to find the square root of 15 different numbers.

1. Below are 15 numbers. Use Table 6 in your textbook to estimate the square root of each.
2. Using the random number table, select 15 numbers. Calculate the square root of each number.
3. Below are 15 numbers, use your calculator to determine the square root of each.

Objective: Given a plot of pasture, draw a map illustrating how you plow it.

1. Use the red pencil to illustrate your plan for plowing the field.
2. Given a field plot, describe how you would plow it.
3. List the equipment you would need to plow this field for planting corn.

Objective: Given a map of the United States, the learner will identify the first 13 states.

1. List the first 13 states.
2. Point to each of the 13 states on this map and state the name of the state.
3. Color each of the first 13 states red on this map.

You can check your answers here. If you have any questions about the possible answers, post your questions on the discussion board for this exercise. Read the comments posted by other students.

Exercise 3

Final Project

Evaluation is an important part of the instructional design process. We use it to make sure our products will work when we finish the development process. Evaluation is then used to determine if it works and if it is still working. Student testing, a part of evaluation, is also an important component that not only tells us if the students have mastered the objectives, but can also help us identify problem areas.