The first of two volumes, this report provides a brief description of a 1987 conference on distance education together with the papers presented by three of the four keynote speakers; presentation notes are included for the fourth presentation. It is noted that, in addition to these papers, the conference included 41 informational sessions and…

This manual has been designed to guide courses on potato production sponsored by the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima (Peru). It describes the CIP Course Evaluation System that is presently used and provides guidelines on how to use feedback more effectively for improving training. CIP evaluations are largely formative. The CIP focuses on…

This paper discusses the different methods and levels of evaluation that have been used to evaluate the distance education programs of the Open University of Great Britain. Included in this discussion are system evaluation and course evaluation (both formative and summative), and the results of the evaluation procedures are summarized for each.…

Self-formative evaluation is a unique form of formative evaluation which refers to the involvement of both the producer and the users in the evaluation of newly developed instructional materials; it does not indicate evaluation of themselves. This examination of the feasibility of employing this evaluation technique during the process of…

This document describes the revision of the Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) Program Evaluation Kit, including planning, development, and/or revisions of specific components. The kit is a set of books, originally developed in 1978, and designed to provide step-by-step procedural guides to help people conduct evaluations of educational…

This booklet begins by examining the role played by evaluation in course and curriculum development, and then shows how the basic "error elimination" approach advocated by the philosopher Karl Popper can be used as a basis for the on-going evaluation of instructional systems. Next, two contrasting paradigms of evaluation are described,…

Results are provided from a formative evaluation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) designed for training of foster home certification and licensing staff. The evaluation was undertaken to provide information on issues of feasibility, installation, and implementation of CAI. Project data were obtained from two sources: the first was a review…

This review of the performance appraisal process discusses the major assumptions on which performance appraisal is based, the general goals of performance appraisal, and the characteristics of effective performance appraisal programs. The author stresses the dependence of the process on the assumption that human behavior can be changed; he…

Formative evaluation of instructional materials may not be time efficient or cost effective. Scriven's definition of formative evaluation, used in this paper, applies to the assessment and refinement of instructional materials still under development. Implementation of formative evaluation techniques does not seem to yield significant improvement…

A 10-minute videotape program that reviews library skills was evaluated with 8 fifth and sixth grade classes in the St. Louis area to determine both the effectiveness of the program itself and the method of formative program evaluation. The program used videotaped slides to present program ideas. Questions focused on whether students who viewed…

Formative and summative evaluations of two developmental stages of a television-based multi-media system are reviewed, indicating that a strategy for adult education via mass media should include nationally known personalities and extensive advertising, and that a feedback mechanism encouraging audience participation seems to improve…

Substantial efforts have been made recently to compare the effectiveness of traditional course formats to alternative formats (most often, online delivery compared to traditional on-site delivery). This study examines, not the delivery format but rather the evaluation format. It compares traditional paper and pencil methods for course evaluation…

In 2003, the Faculty of Health & Behavioural Sciences at our university offered a series of postgraduate research seminars. The series of seminars, selected by a three-person faculty team, received a mixed reaction--some seminars attracted a large proportion of the students whereas others were poorly attended. Thus, it was decided to continue…

The author discusses the use of evaluation for purposes of instruction and improvement of learning in the general physical education program. Contrasted with the traditional use of evaluation for grading and classifying students, it is suggested that evaluation be integrated into a cycle of activity involving behavioral objectives, measurement,…

The plan described was developed to evaluate the training and cost-effectiveness of the Automated Instructional Management System (AIMS), a computer-based training and resource development system being developed by the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) for possible installation in its schools and training centers. The Functional Description…