describe similarities and difference between evaluation and research
Introduction and learning outcomes
On completion of this weeks activities, students should be able to:
describe similarities and difference between evaluation and research
assess barriers to evaluation
examine methods for conducting an evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation
An important component of being a reflective educator is program evaluation. There are many similarities between program evaluation and research methods, however evaluation is not necessarily research nor vice versa.
Text reading
Boland, D. L. (2015). Program Evaluation. In M. H. Oermann (Ed.), Teaching in nursing and role of the educator (pp. 275-302). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
There are three additional readings on curriculum evaluation approaches in the reference list available through eReserve (Hall 2014; Kesting 2015; Lindemann & Lipsett 2016) . Please review these if you are interested in building on your knowledge of the field of evaluation.
Boland (2015 p278-9) cites Wandersman et al’s (2012) nine principles associated with empowerment that educators should incorporate into their program evaluations. This raises some great principles to consider when planning and conducting program evaluations. Boland (2015 p285) then presents a list of things that need to be considered when developing and doing a program evaluation:
identify and engage stakeholders
clarify goals of the evaluation
assess resources needed for evaluation
design the evaluation
determine appropriate methods of measurement and procedures
develop a work-plan, budget, and timeline for evaluation
collect the data using agreed upon methods and procedures
process and analyse data
interpret and disseminate the results
take action
Given the purpose of undertaking a program evaluation is to judge the worth and value of a program, and its ability to meet the intended aims, it is vital that results be actioned, meaning it must lead to a modified curriculum as required.
Drawing on similar points of view, the following reading is another look at curriculum evaluation, but with a focus on technology enhanced learning.
