Evaluation Cookbook

1. Identify your situation and/or materials for investigation Hint
These could be:
 learning technology materials still under development into which formative evaluation could feed;
 piloting software in order to provide information for a subsequent implementation strategy.

2. Identify key areas of interest
These can be:
 the usability of the software;
 the student's perception of the software as a learning tool.
Hint

3. Plan your evaluation session
Decide whether you or another person, acting as a facilitator, are to be running the session.

Try to select tasks which explore different features of the software and which are relevant to its anticipated usage with students. Hint

4. Practicalities of application
Check the timing of the session against the students program – volunteers are not likely to be so forthcoming at the start of term or the day before an exam.

Check the student knows where the studio is and can get there and back in time for classes.

Before the session check the software runs OK on the computer in the studio.

Two cameras should be set up, one pointing at the students upper body to catch face and hand movements, the other pointing at the monitor. These images are then combined into a split screen video. Hint

A microphone should be attached to the student and possibly the facilitator so that sound is captured.

Hint

5. Analysis
At least a rough transcription of the video is useful for reference purposes.

The video can be viewed as often as required for different purposes.

Snippets are very useful for demonstrating a point during a talk and/or livening up a conference presentation

example