Evaluation+Plan+D1

// Alignment of Unit Goals to the evaluation process //
 * Team Member D1 **

For each of your unit goals, identify which component of your evaluation plan will measure the degree to which that goal was achieved. Consult with your team members and revise your unit goals as necessary. Provide a justification for the design of your evaluation process.
 * Note: ** The degree to which your instructional module is successful in guiding your students to achieve the Learning Objectives is measured by your unit (or program) goals. In addition, there may be other goals you decided would reflect the success of your unit, (i.e.: the enjoyment level of students, or the completion or attrition rates.) This is different from assessing how well the learners perform at the end of the unit, as measured against the unit’s instructional objectives. However, learner assessment data may be one component used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your unit.

The process of evaluation in instructional design should be continual. Evaluating solely at the end of the process will lead to frustration, more work and in many cases unnecessary expenses. Evaluation is a valuable way to pre-determine the problems in the instructional module and to fix these before instruction takes place. Undergoing this process has highlighted a few area for modification in our own unit on Project-based Learning and Assessment.

When we chose to create an instructional module for Project-based assessment, we felt that teachers were generally in a race to cover all of the standards required and to teach for standardized tests, and as a result did not often choose to develop PBL units. Therefore, our primary goal was to encourage teachers to create Project-based units understanding that these were an excellent way of getting students to meet standards. "PBL's intent is not to //cover//, but to get //in depth// authentic assessments that truly show a student has mastered a few given standards" (Miller, 2011).

Our overall goal is to enable teachers to **produce a PBL unit plan** with an effective **summative assessment rubric**.

Other goals emerging from our primary aim were:


 * To enable teachers to familiarize themselves with **essential components of PB**L (21st century skill acquisition, authentic assessment, use of technology, interdisciplinary focus and the sharing of results with wider community) and to **use these concepts in their** **instruction**.
 * To provide teachers with resources, ideas and a structure for project-based assessment which **encourages them to create their own assessments.**

To this end, we decided on three unit learning objectives.

Objective #1: Teachers will be able to identify and explain 5 components of PBL unit plans (21st century skill acquisition, authentic assessment using a rubric, use of technology, interdisciplinary focus and the sharing of results with wider community).

Objective #2 - Teachers will be able to compare and contrast effective PBL rubrics.

Objective #3 - Teachers will be able to create an outline for their own PBL unit (including rubric for assessment). Their outline will include the standards that they are targeting.

__**Evaluation of objectives**__

"The broad purpose of evaluation is to determine to what extent the objectives of the instruction are being attained" (Morrison, et al, 2011). There are a variety of assessment strategies employed in our instructional module that help to determine the level of proficiency in a given objective. Throughout the process, formative assessments are used to check on the understanding of the teachers.

Objective #1: After the Prezi presentation describing the components of PBL unit plans and assessments, teachers are prompted to reflect on, discuss and share their ideas (Think-Pair-Share activity). At this time, the facilitator of the module will become aware of how well the teachers are understanding the PBL components and their applications.

Objective #2: Teachers will be prompted to compare and contrast two to three rubrics to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The facilitator will walk around the room while the teachers fill out the Think-Pair-Share Chart, to answer question and/or check for understanding. During the sharing process, the facilitator will put the elements of effective rubrics together from the discussions. As the teachers share their observations and opinions, and ask questions, the facilitator will understand if further emphasis on the identification of useful and effective rubrics is needed.

Objective #3: Teachers will fill out an outline template for their own PBL unit (including a rubric they either found, modified or created). The template will prompt teachers to use the components of PBL while incorporating the standards targeted. This activity serves as the summative assessment, which is "directed toward measuring the degree to which the major outcomes are attained by the end of the course" (Morrison, et al, 2011). Our assessments are criterion-based, rather than norm-based, and as a result we would expect the teachers to show an acceptable proficiency in the development of PBL units with appropriate rubric assessment (Morrison, et al, 2011).

We also employ a diagnostic evaluative strategy in the form of a survey given out to the teachers prior to instruction. With this survey, we determine their prior knowledge of and experience with PBL and assessments. The same survey is re-administered after the module to document improvement in knowledge of and comfort with PBL and assessments. This data can be used to further evaluate the module, fill in the necessary gaps and make changes for future use.

Success of the instructional module is dependent on the level of application of this new knowledge by the classroom teacher. If the teacher has left the session, interested in PBL and assessment but still unwilling or uncomfortable with the philosophy and process of creating these units, then our goals are not being reached. A confirmative evaluation will bring out those answers. A confirmative evaluation focuses on the effectiveness of an instructional module over time (Morrison, et al, 2011).

Our module cannot stand alone as the sole point of access for teachers to PBL and assessments. The long term success of our module depends on a variety of factors, including support from the administration, teacher accountability, continual support for teachers in the development of units and assessment, and resources allotted to carry out the initiatives.

Miller, A. (2011). Edutopia. Criteria for Effective Assessment in Project-Based Learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/effective-assessment-project-based-learning-andrew-miller.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing Effective Instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.