Evaluating Programs and Human Performance

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Additional Models of Program Evaluation

Empowerment Evaluation Model

The Empowerment Evaluation Model is used to monitor and evaluate an organization's own performance. This model is used with the idea that the more people are engaged in their own evaluations, the more likely they are to believe in them. When an organization has ownership in its own evaluation, individuals are more like to make decisions and take actions based on the data from evaluation.

The Empowerment Model is based on 10 principles:

1. Community Ownership

2. Inclusion

3. Democratic Participation

4. Community Knowledge

5. Evidence-Based Strategies

6. Accountability

7. Improvement

8. Organizational Learning

9. Social Justice

10. Capacity Building

Implementation involves three simple steps:

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I plan on using Empowerment Evaluation with my older students whose interest seems to slowly decline when it comes to music instruction that is typically teacher-directed. My offering more constructivist learning  opportunities, empowerment evaluation can help increase student ownership in a subject that is performance based. By evaluating their own and their classmate's performances, they are also reaching TEKS dealing with music evaluation skills. 

Organizational Learning Model

Organization Learning consists of two levels of learning.

Single Loop Learning: modifying actions according to the difference between expected and obtained outcomes.

Double Loop Learning: questioning the values, assumptions, policies, that led to actions, then modifying them. 

Organizational Learning consists of Five Disciplines:

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The Organizational Learning Model may be helpful for me to attack instruction/learning problems that seem to recurr regardless of different actions taken. This model is useful when a step back needs to be taken so that the teacher can view the bigger picture and evaluate what is initially motivating actions. This could lead to  broader changes in instruction values or policies to positively affect learning.

Other Questions to Consider in Instructional Design Evaluation

Integrated technology into instructional design can be and expensive undertaking, making it important to gather as much data as possible to ensure that the right technology is being chosen for particular outcomes. Because the expense can be great and the monetary resources slim, it is important to also consider the return on investment when selecting different technologies. Management of resources is another question to consider because technology is not a one time expense. There may be extensive upkeep involved, software to purchase, and training to provide. 

Solving Performance Problems with Non-Instructional Approaches

Non-instructional approaches could solve a wealth of educational problems that eventually lead to performance problems, especially when technology is involved. For instance, many teachers receive plenty of training in different technologies to enhance their lessons, yet many teachers are still hesitant to take full advantage of these technologies. This is typically due to the teacher's lack of confidence if something were to go wrong, or the teacher's struggle to individualize the training he or she has received.

When I was student teaching at the elementary level, we used the Promethean board for most of our recorder lessons. One day it stopped working and we had no idea what was wrong. My mentor teacher guessed that the machine needed to be cleaned.or the bulb needed to be replaced so she put in a work order. Unfortunately, we had no way of knowing when someone would arrive to fix the board. We were without for days and had to supplement our lessons on the fly. Luckily, she had guessed right and after a few days of waiting someone came to fix the machine. If this had not been the problem, it would have been a lot of waiting for no reason as well as wasted labor. If there had been some kind of performance support, possible online tutorials where you can search for problems, and if this support was easy to access and navigate, we would have been able to know for sure what was wrong. If there had been a point person to contact that managed work requests and this person was linked with the repair peoples' schedules, we would have known exactly how long we would be without and been able to plan accordingly. Performance support would have been beneficial to this problem because of the frequency we used the Promethean board and how critical it was to our recorder lessons.

Knowledge management is another way to increase teacher confidence and aid in integrating technology into specific lessons using Web 2.0 technology. It is important that teachers communicate openly about their struggles and successes. Each teacher has different strengths and weaknesses and it would benefit every teacher to learn from each other. As a new teacher, I wish my district had one place where teachers could post relevant flipcharts, lesson plans, classroom management tools, etc. that have been successful for them so that I can learn from their experience. This knowledge base would need to be organized and tagged appropriately so that I could quickly search and find the information I needed, instead of scrolling through tons of unorganized and uncategorized information. There are many places to find this sort of information, but I have found them to be poorly managed making it unlikely to be utilized effectively.

I begin my first year of teaching elementary music next year. In my observations and student teaching experiences I have noticed a lack of engagement with 6th graders. I plan to combat this lack of interest with many informal learning opportunities including the formation of performance groups and introducing music technology. I am hoping that this constructivist format will increase student interest and ownership in their own learning.