...a thoughtful consideration of events which can inform future events for the better.
In my experience evaluation is...... a department meeting and a rushed report based on empirical observations by teachers and a review of course results and student responses to a tick box questionnaire! Better than no relection at all, but not always satisfactory.
Evaluation is important in all learning - to enable all students to learn effectively the teacher must be aware of what works and what doesn't. eLearning also has the additional issues that resources are often costly to produce and teachers need to be sufficiently trained to deliver them.
There are so many variables in education that it's improtant to reflect. It's important to know that you're on the right track. What might work with one group or individual may not work with others. What might seem a good idea may not in hindsight be appropriate. Also, it's important to find out what works well so that best practice can be used/shared for future learning.
In teaching I have experienced the following types of evaluation activity:
- Lesson observations - by peers, by line managers and by external inspectors
- Student surveys at the mid-point and end of courses
- Team meetings between course leaders and teachers
- During external inspections - focus groups with students
- Moderation of learning and assessment materials
