The
Art
of
Evaluation
A
Handbook
for
Educators
and
Trainers
Tara
Fenwick
and
Jim
Parsons
University
of
Alberta
246
pages
(2000)
Paper,
ISBN
1-55077-104-3,
$36.95 CDN / US
Order
a
copy.
Course
examination
copy
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SAMPLES:
Contents
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Introduction
ADOBE
(PDF)
SAMPLES:
Contents
and
Introduction
First
page
of
each
chapter
An instructor can know all there is to know about evaluation and still have a difficult time evaluating students well. This book offers practical ways to plan evaluation and develop tools to record and report learner growth. The underlying theme is that good evaluation involves the learner throughout the whole learning experience and is not simply a judgment by an instructor at the end of a course. The book systematically reviews many aspects of learner evaluation from different perspectives and provides practical suggestions about how to conduct evaluation in different contexts to benefit all concerned.
The Art of Evaluation is essential reading for educators and prospective educators who are concerned about the critical role of evaluation in the learning process, and want to know how to improve their own assessment approaches and enable learners to assume active, meaningful roles in evaluating their own learning.
INSTRUCTOR'S MATERIALS: The charts and forms included in this book are available in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. For more information, please contact the publisher.
REVIEW by Susan Elliott-Johns in Professionally Speaking
"This book is very timely as educators across the country continue to grapple with the complex issues involved in authentic evaluation. Written by two Canadian university professors, it pulls together an invaluable collection of resources related to the theory and practice of evaluation and underscores the importance of what we are doing, and why we are doing it, if we are to better understand how to evaluate. Although the book is directed specifically towards instructors in adult education, many examples are equally informative and applicable whether one teaches primary or postgraduate students. This is an excellent resource."
Susan Elliott-Johns, a former principal in Ontario, is currently completing her PhD at McGill University and teaches at the University of Prince Edward Island.
CONTENTS
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Is Anybody Learning Anything out There? ÷ The importance of authentic evaluation; Nine purposes of evaluation; Principles of authentic evaluation; Four traps in evaluation;
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Evaluation of You and Your Teaching Philosophy ÷ Examining your own beliefs; Reflecting on your own learning and teaching biography; The dilemma of evaluating other adults; The evaluative context;
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What Do You Want Learners to Know? ÷ Why should the evaluation take place?; What should be evaluated?; How should the evaluation be done?; What do you want learners to know?; What does the institution want to know?; Approaches to evaluation; Validity and evaluation;
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Developing Criteria for Evaluation ÷ Criterion, normative, and self-referenced evaluation; Choosing a frame of reference; The source for criteria in criterion-referenced evaluation; Establishing developmental criteria; Indicators of criteria; Involving learners in developing indicators;
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Choosing among the Alternatives ÷ Multiple methods; Choosing assessment methods; Questions to consider before using an evaluation strategy; Questions to consider after using an evaluation strategy; Involving the learner in assessment; Questions to consider before evaluating learnersā progress; Management and record-keeping;
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Evaluating Mastery of Technical Skills ÷ Two kinds of knowledge in technical skills; Operations involved in learning a new skill; Context and transfer in skill learning; Coaching and evaluating skills;
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Evaluating Performance Objectives ÷ Defining objectives for technical skills; Pre-test/post-test approaches to determine skill levels; Choosing criteria for evaluating performance objectives: Begin with the learners; Evaluating entry-level skills;
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Evaluating Growth in Conceptual Knowledge ÷ New knowledge is actively constructed, not passively absorbed; Everyone creates a personal knowledge; Learners construct new knowledge in different ways; Some assessment measures can strangle conceptual growth; Putting it all together;
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Evaluating Levels of Conceptual Growth ÷ Bloomās taxonomy; Using Bloomās taxonomy; Formats that assess levels of understanding; Limitations of Bloomās taxonomy;
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Evaluating "Relational" Skills ÷ How to talk