This paper describes the development of a model for integrating student evaluation of teaching results with academic development opportunities, in new ways that take into account theoretical and practical developments in both fields. The model is described in terms of five phases or components: (1) the basic student evaluation system; (2) an…

Background: Outcome measurement is important to clinical practice--yet outcome many speech and language therapists find it difficult to apply measures in practice, and not all clinicians and services have been able to implement and/or use outcome measurement successfully. To date there has been little research to explain why implementation is…

Elementary general music teachers typically teach hundreds of students every week. Each child has individual learning needs due to a variety of factors, such as prior experiences with music, music aptitude, learning style, and personality. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore ways that experienced teachers used assessments to…

The misuse of evaluation is discussed. Boundaries of misutilization are not well understood, and distinctions between misutilization and non-use or abuse are not clear. In general, the responsibility for evaluation misuse is with the user, while the responsibility for misevaluation is with the evaluator. A distinction is also needed between…

This paper attempts to define evaluation use and manipulable variables related to it. Approaches to defining evaluation use have included typologies inventorying kinds of evaluation use, threshold criteria defining accepted levels of evidence, construct or operational definitions, and dependence on the perspective of the decision maker. None of…

Setting the context for this theme issue on responsive evaluation, this article describes the core ideas of Robert Stake's responsive evaluation, presenting them as originally framed and discussing their evolution over time. Explains that the rhetoric and ethic of responsive evaluation is to be open, to find more than the initial issues. (SLD)

Based on experience with a large public organization dedicated to transportation and economic development, an evaluation group manager provides insights into evaluation utilization. Motives, objectives, and impacts of evaluation are discussed; and a model of the evaluation universe is provided. (TJH)

The main points made by C. H. Weiss are reviewed, focusing on several ideas that have lead to the preliminary conceptualization of a theory of evaluation use. The social ecological theory of evaluation use developed is presented that sets forth conditions that result in increased evaluation use. (SLD)

Develops a constructivist view of evaluation as learning, arguing for a more complex and variegated understanding of use. Elaborates the notion of evaluation serving an educative purpose and suggests that the evaluator is a partner in the construction of knowledge. Illustrates the critical inquiry process that fosters knowledge construction.…

Like other universities, RMIT recognises the significance of graduates' ratings of their experience and has had a long-term commitment to improving student learning. As at other universities, RMIT's standard subject-level survey (the Course Experience Survey [CES]) incorporates items from the national Course Experience Questionnaire, with the aim…

While legislative oversight offices, like many evaluation and policy analysis units, face substantial challenges in promoting use of their work by policymakers, they often have not taken steps to overcome these challenges by adopting the strategies suggested by the evaluation literature. Although the offices seek utilization, they have not fully…

Evaluation practices used by state legislatures to monitor educational reform are analyzed in this paper, which focuses on the link between politics and choice of oversight strategies and evaluation methods. Two oversight strategies are compared--"police-patrol" and "fire-alarm.""Fire-alarm" oversight involves…

Surveyed 42 community mental health centers (CMHCs) to examine how evaluations of these centers affect programmatic decisions. Results showed that availability of funds was the most important factor influencing decision making when evaluation of CMHCs pointed to a need for change. (BH)

This paper discusses two models that hold promise for helping evaluators understand and cope with different decision contexts: (1) the conflict Model (Janis and Mann, 1977) and the Social Process Model (Vroom and Yago, 1974). Implications and guidelines for using decisionmaking models in evaluation settings are presented. (BS)

In this collection, evaluation theorists and practitioners consider evaluator role and identity in evaluation theory, practice, and society. The chapters are: (1) "Three Frameworks for Considering Evaluator Role" (Jean A. King and Laurie Stevahn); (2) "Toward Better Understanding of Alternative Evaluator Roles" (Melvin M. Mark); (3) "Making (More)…