Models of evaluation in educational technology

Project Title: creating annual calendar using Desktop Publishing software
Background:
This project was designed to educate grade eight students in how to use Microsoft Publisher to create their own annual calendar. Many skills and knowledge (general or specific) are required to be as prerequisites for using this program. These are:

General:
Prior knowledge:
1- Knowing the user interface of MS word and its components.
2- Knowing the differences between MS word and MS Publisher soft wares.
Prior Skills:
1- Typing skills.
2- Text coordination skills.
3- Colors coordination skills.

Specific:
Prior knowledge:
1- Knowing the usage of MS Publisher software.
2- Knowing the user interface of MS Publisher software and its components.
3- knowing the features of MS Publisher software
4- Knowing the definition of calendar.
5- Knowing the importance for using calendar.


Goal and Objectives:
By the end of this lesson the Students will be able to:
Goal:
Create an annual calendar.
Enabling objectives:
Open the annual calendar from publisher catalog.
Change the annual calendar start and end date.
Change the annual calendar templates.
Change the annual calendar template colors.
Change the annual calendar fonts styles
Embed the events table.

Evaluation model & instrument: Action Model
The examiners proposed to evaluate the annual calendar project using ACTION model. They should evaluate this project in three main aspects: Accessibility, Interactivity and User friendless and Teaching and Learning. Each aspect contains many questions in which evaluators must follow to insure the applicability of the project in educational context.


Access:
This aspect focus on how the program is accessible for learners in terms of the availability of its required equipments and soft wares and its flexibility in terms of easiness and the availability in (any time, any body and any purpose).
The examiners should evaluate:
Do students have an access to the program CD?
Are the students equipped with the hardware requirements (computer, speakers, ..etc)?
Do students have the supportive software needed to run the program (e.g flash player)?
Is the program easy to run and use?

This aspect will be best evaluated using students’ survey that includes the questions previously mentioned.

Teaching and Learning:
Learning objectives, content relevant with technology, skills and knowledge development and students capabilities are addressed under this aspect. The examiners can cope with these elements by using the following questions:
Do the instructional approach chosen appropriately to meet the students’ needs?
To what extent the program meet the learning objectives?
Is the content will adapted to the technology used?
How successfully the program develops the students required skills and knowledge?
Do the learning materials structured properly to the students’ capabilities?

This aspect should be evaluated by achievement test and observation includes the questions previously mentioned..

Achievement test: should include questions to evaluate students achievements of the program objectives and that shows their attainment of new knowledge and skills.

Observation:
Project examiners can measure this particular aspect by observing the students' works and activities in educational process and then take notes on their observation.

Interactivity and user friendliness
The kind of interaction provided by the technology
Does this technology support student-content interaction?
Does this technology support student-student interaction?
Does this technology support student-teacher interaction?
Does this technology support student-machine interaction?
Does the program easy to navigate and use?
Does the program interface reflect its content?
Is the program instructionally designed?

This aspect should be evaluated by observation, external reviews that include the questions previously mentioned.

Ready made instrument is suggested also to be used to evaluate all the aspects mentioned
This is the instrument link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14954993/Proposed-survey

Powerpoint presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/athra29/evaluating-educational-technology-project-using-actions-model


Posted by: u066754@squ.edu.om & u061542@squ.edu.om