Ethics in research and evaluation has a long standing history, one steeped with legal and moral implications. This article addresses the technicalities of ethics in evaluation as well as highlights the importance for museum educators to prioritize adopting such practices. While understanding the myriad of ethical concerns and best practices can be…

The article addresses the question of how the assessment process with large-scale data derived from online learning environments will be different from the assessment process without it. Following an explanation of big data and how it is different from previously available learner data, we describe three notable features that characterize…

Developing teachers' knowledge about assessing English language learners (ELLs) is critical for achieving intended policy outcomes of improving teaching under Race to the Top policy and Common Core State Standards. In addition to teachers' expressed concerns about teaching Common Core State Standards to ELLs in a national survey…

As states and communities invest in initiatives to improve the quality of early care and education, the measurement of quality is becoming more widespread and the importance of measuring quality well is gaining increasing attention. Within the broad context of interest in improving quality, this report seeks to differentiate among a number of…

An educational film was shown to graduate students assigned randomly to no review or positive, negative, neutral, or mixed review conditions. Some were given reviews only; others were given reviews prior or subsequent to seeing the film. Information affected ratings; familiarity moderated these affects. Timing alone had no effects. (Author/GK)

A series of studies have been initiated which explore methods of information systems evaluation and their application to operational situations. Included are means of expressing benefits in terms of tangible measures of effectiveness. Functional and system objectives are considered in determining meaningful performance parameters which effect the…

The national program focuses on support of a systematic information network, but the problem at the school library level is that students and others do not know how to use what is available. Support for such education is needed. (LS)

This document, one of a series of reports examining the possible contribution of other disciplines to evaluation methodology, describes the major elements of general systems theory (GST), cybernetics theory (CT) and management control theory (MCT). The author suggests that MCT encapsulates major concerns of evaluation since it reveals that…

The base'', means of access, indexing, storage, input costs and retrieval are discussed as factors that must be considered in comparing information systems. (2 references) (Author/KE)

For purposes of categorizing those things that perhaps determine the extent to which evaluation findings will be utilized, four sets of factors are considered in this paper: (1) the decision maker/decision process, (2) the program and social context, (3) the nature of the evaluator , and (4) the evaluation process/evaluation report. (Author/RC)

The author believes her ideas on evaluation reporting are old ideas in various fields including communication theory, advertising, social science, and learning theory. The human factor in reporting evaluation must be considered. Those being evaluated often feel threatened by the evaluation. Evaluators need to accept the behaviors of evaluation…

OF 18,000 SECONDARY SCHOOLS CONTACTED, 30 PERCENT RESPONDED TO A QUESTIONNAIRE ON OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION MATERIALS. OCCUPATIONAL LITERATURE WAS OBTAINED BY COUNSELORS 80 PERCENT OF THE TIME. ON THE AVERAGE, $178.00 IS AVAILABLE YEARLY FOR THIS PURCHASE. THE FACILITIES AVAILABLE FOR DISPLAYING MATERIALS ARE DESCRIBED. THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER…

Pollution of natural resources such as information is the result of inefficient use of those resources and misplacement of those resources after use. Information workers must make judgements or assign priorities to information to ensure its use to serve the cause of a humane rationality. (1 reference) (Author)

Considers the differences between information user groups with regard to characteristic patterns in the use of information and the dimensions of value by which users evaluate and analyze information. Twenty references are cited. (FM)

Evaluation as a process of obtaining and providing useful information for making educational decisions is discussed with reference to the concepts expressed in "The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation." The need for the evaluator to know the approaches, interests, and values of the decision maker is discussed. (CTM)