Evaluation

Evaluation in higher education entails gathering evidence about the impact of teaching, topic and course design on students' participation and achievement and the appropriateness of content and processes for intended purposes.

Effective evaluation of teaching and topics is the basis of good educational practice. Evaluation of teaching and topics must be done with a purpose. For evaluations to be effective and useful you need to clarify what is it that you want to know or to demonstrate about your teaching.

The are many possible purposes for assessing, sources of information and uses for which the evidence might be used.

Evaluation needs to be deliberate. In particular, it needs to be a continuous process.

Why Evaluate?

To judge the efficacy of specific teaching strategies, approaches and innovations so that:

there can be some critical debate as to the worth and value of the strategies used
others can appraise a teachers' effectiveness in the light of a performance appraisal for promotion purposes.

There are many possible purposes for assessing, sources of information and uses for which the evidence might be used.

What Decisions can be Based on the Data?

Changes to course structure
Changes to teaching processes
Changes to teaching content
Changes to assessment tasks
Changes to student work load
Changes to student staff interactions
Promotion and tenure
Professional development

Types of Evaluation:

Formative

This is feedback for teacher development, and usually occurs early in the teaching process. Formative evaluation needs to be:

specific
relevant
contextual
diagnostic

Summative

This is judgement of effectiveness, and usually occurs at the end of the teaching process. Summative evaluation needs to be:

valid,
reliable
based on data that measures quality