5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning.
Evaluation Plan
The Evaluation Plan was completed in the Professional Learning and Technology Innovation course. The purpose of this assignment was to develop an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of the professional learning session that I implemented in this course. The Evaluation Plan used Guskey's Five Levels of Evaluation: Participants' Reactions, Participants' Learning, Organization Support and Change, Participants' Use of New Knowledge and Skill, and Student Learning Outcomes. The Evaluation Plan includes actions/tasks, a timeline, resources/budget, data collection methods, and dissemination strategies. I created an evaluation instrument using Google Documents to assess participants' reaction and participants' learning. This evaluation instrument can be found here. The remaining parts of the Evaluation Plan could have been implemented based on the timeline included in the plan.
The Evaluation Plan demonstrates mastery of Standard 5.3 because I designed and implemented an evaluation tool to assess the participants' reaction and learning. I also developed a plan for evaluating organization support and change, participants' use of new knowledge and skill, and student learning outcomes. By completing the Evaluation Plan, I would be able to determine how to support teachers as needed and what types of professional learning should be provided next.
By completing the Evaluation Plan, I realized that there are many layers to evaluation. While it is important that the participants have a positive reaction to the instruction of the facilitator and the presentation of the materials, it is also important that the ultimate goal of the professional learning is to gain new knowledge and skill that can be effectively implemented to improve student learning. I realized that it is beneficial to determine what the participants learned immediately after the learning session is over and it is necessary to assess again in a few weeks to determine what the participants retained. This can help guide future faculty development opportunities. I also enjoyed completing the evaluation through a technology-based means versus pencil and paper. I found that teachers were more responsive, because they could quickly click on or type their answers. To improve the quality of the Evaluation Plan, I would like to have more informal input about the learning session. Teachers are most likely to share their thoughts through casual conversation. I wish I would have dedicated more time to evaluating my learning session by talking with the participants after the learning session was completed.
The Evaluation Plan impacts faculty development because it helps me determine what knowledge the teachers were able to obtain while completing the learning session. It also helps guide future professional learning sessions. Overall, the Evaluation Plan provided a systemic and organized way to collect data about the professional learning sessions I implemented at my school. To assess the impact of the Evaluation Plan, I would review the data that was collected through the evaluation instrument I implemented at the end of the training session. From there, I could determine what steps to take next.
The Evaluation Plan demonstrates mastery of Standard 5.3 because I designed and implemented an evaluation tool to assess the participants' reaction and learning. I also developed a plan for evaluating organization support and change, participants' use of new knowledge and skill, and student learning outcomes. By completing the Evaluation Plan, I would be able to determine how to support teachers as needed and what types of professional learning should be provided next.
By completing the Evaluation Plan, I realized that there are many layers to evaluation. While it is important that the participants have a positive reaction to the instruction of the facilitator and the presentation of the materials, it is also important that the ultimate goal of the professional learning is to gain new knowledge and skill that can be effectively implemented to improve student learning. I realized that it is beneficial to determine what the participants learned immediately after the learning session is over and it is necessary to assess again in a few weeks to determine what the participants retained. This can help guide future faculty development opportunities. I also enjoyed completing the evaluation through a technology-based means versus pencil and paper. I found that teachers were more responsive, because they could quickly click on or type their answers. To improve the quality of the Evaluation Plan, I would like to have more informal input about the learning session. Teachers are most likely to share their thoughts through casual conversation. I wish I would have dedicated more time to evaluating my learning session by talking with the participants after the learning session was completed.
The Evaluation Plan impacts faculty development because it helps me determine what knowledge the teachers were able to obtain while completing the learning session. It also helps guide future professional learning sessions. Overall, the Evaluation Plan provided a systemic and organized way to collect data about the professional learning sessions I implemented at my school. To assess the impact of the Evaluation Plan, I would review the data that was collected through the evaluation instrument I implemented at the end of the training session. From there, I could determine what steps to take next.