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See Itslife Library for other reading
See General Teaching Skills section for general sources which may well contain this topic
Active reviewing guide
A website aimed at showing you
At http://reviewing.co.uk/index.htm and includes a good page on evaluation at http://reviewing.co.uk/evaluation/methods1.htm
evaluation: theory and practice @ the encyclopaedia of informal education
Evaluation is part and parcel of educating - yet it can be experienced
as burden and an unnecessary intrusion. We explore the theory and practice of evaluation and some of the key issues for informal educators. From the excellent informal education site
Evaluation Cookbook Gives descriptions of methods that can be used to evaluate the use of learning technology in higher education, but has much general relevance. Includes "recipes" for different evaluation methods and useful information for planning, running and reporting on your evaluation. From the Learning Technology Dissemination Initiative, and at http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/cookbook/
Evaluating Soft Outcomes and Distance Travelled (Institute of Education) Soft outcomes are outcomes from training, support or guidance interventions, which unlike hard outcomes, such as qualifications and jobs, cannot be measured directly or tangibly. Distance travelled refers to the progress that a beneficiary makes towards employability or harder outcomes, as a result of the project intervention. The acquisition of certain soft outcomes may seem insignificant, but for certain individuals the leap forward in achieving these outcomes is significant. A useful contribution to the field. Download (pdf 196k)
Evaluation Studies A complement to the Evaluation Cookbook providing a practical guide to strategies and techniques. Also from the Learning Technology Dissemination Initiative, and at http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/evalstudies/cont.htm
Geoff Petty on evaluating Download (MS Word 46k)
Inspection-related web sites - all of the agencies involved in the delights of inspection for the post compulsory sector have their own detailed web sites, where you can view your own inspection reports, but where much of the guidance and information given to inspectors is posted for anyone to view. To get the inside line try these sites :
Ofsted http://www.ofsted.gov.uk
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) http://www.qaa.org.uk
Northern Ireland Education and Training Inspectorate (eti) http://www.deni.gov.uk/inspection_services/welcome/index.htm
organizational learning - principles, theory and practice @ the encylcopedia of informal education In recent years there has been a lot of talk of 'organizational learning'. Here we explore the theory and practice of such learning. We examine some key theorists and themes.
Stories from the front line - The impact of inspection on practitioners (2003) Sandra Rennie, Bradford College. Yorkshire and Humberside Learning and Skills Research Network. This document tells the inspection story from the perspective of those inspected, and 'explores the impact of ... inspection arrangements on practitioners in further education (FE) colleges.' It is a really good example of a worthwhile and potentially high impact piece of practitioner research. The conclusions include:
The image of inspection in all three colleges was that of a battlefield or theatre
rather than of a consultancy.This image affected practitioners negatively and influenced their expectations of the outcomes of inspection.
Senior managers, in their approach to preparing for inspections, further reinforced these images, rather than using inspection as an opportunity for promoting self-evaluation and reflection.
The cultures of the colleges varied but none of them appeared to be based on the notion of collegiality or on the ethic of continuous improvement.
Sickness, stress and increased staff turnover were reported in all cases during
and as a result of the inspection process.In the short term, the inspection experience did not seem to fulfil the function of improving teaching and learning.
The grades that colleges received did not reflect the reality of the college
experience for these practitioners and there was little evidence to show that
colleges generally used them from one inspection to another to help improve their practice.It was not just the large amounts of extra work that stressed teachers so much but also the expectation that they compromise their integrity and their commitment to teaching by producing what they saw as unnecessary and invented paperwork.
Inspection will continue to be a stressful experience for practitioners until a culture of self-evaluation and continuous improvement is embedded at all levels and all sections within the college.
User-friendly evaluation (National Science Foundation) A handbook which discusses quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, suggesting ways in which they can be used as complements in an evaluation strategy. As a result of reading this Handbook, it is expected that practitioners will increase their understanding of the evaluation process, as well as gain knowledge that will help them to communicate with evaluators and manage the actual evaluation. Download (pdf 370k)
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