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=Assignment Three: Development of an evaluation guide = =Length: 3000 words = =Weight: 50% unit marks = =Group work: This task can be completed individually or in groups (2-4 students). The group option is very encouraged. Students who are willing to work in groups should form a group and negotiate the topic and scope of the project with Lina before 06-10-2011. Project length - 3000 words per each group member. All group members will receive same grade. =
 * Due date for completion: ** 03-11-2011

Task
This assignment is to **//construct an evaluation guide for carrying out evaluation tasks//** in an area chosen by you. The guide will be your **//personal tool//**, and/or a tool for a team of people with whom you work. It should help you to **//plan and carry out a specific evaluation activity//** and guide you and/or team through **//all stages of evaluation//**. That is, the guide should support you (its user) as you move step-by-step through the phases of evaluation – from **//clarifying the requirements of the evaluation, to planning the evaluation, to identifying suitable approaches and techniques, to creating or finding/adapting data-gathering instruments, gathering evidence, analysing evidence and reporting outcomes.//** =As a part of the production of this guide, you will need to assemble a //personal collection of resources // that assist you with the main stages of evaluation, such as //(a) descriptions of relevant evaluation techniques and (b) examples of instruments and other materials used in applying such techniques in evaluation. // You might think of creating an electronic collection or a print collection in a ring binder (or both). It may well include more //charts and tables //, bullet points and notes than continuous text. You also could use resources that you already know (e.g. were posted by other students in the unit discussions or you found in our recommended sites). =

<span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">Content and structure
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">For the purposes of this assignment, you need to submit:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">The evaluation guide. It should include:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">the description of the purpose of the evaluation guide
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">how the guide should be used
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">the description of the individual techniques and resources (i.e., your explanation of how those tools and/or techniques should be used in the context of your evaluation, NOT only the collection of tools and techniques).
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">A 500 word reflection on the strengths and limitations of the guide (what would you do to improve the guide if you had more time)

<span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">Criteria we will use in grading the guide
=<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">2. Coherence (How well do selected techniques and tools match your selected rationale?) = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">We will be looking for evidence that your selected techniques, tools and other materials included in your guide are well aligned with the overall rationale of your guide and/or specific evaluation tasks of evaluation. In short, resources that are included in your guide should be aligned with the purpose and help you to carry out identified evaluation tasks effectively. = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">3. Ease of use (is it straightforward to use as source of practical support?) = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">Imagine someone will be trying to use your guide to evaluation tasks in the domain you have described. We will make judgements about how easy or difficult we think they would find your evaluation guide. We will assume these users are familiar with the domain, but do not have much experience in evaluation. In short, your guide should be aligned with the practical needs of the user. = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">4. Clarity (is it easy to understand?) = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">We will be looking for logical structure, clear writing, clear expression of key ideas, effective and appropriate use of graphics/tables. = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">5. Use of literature (How extensively and appropriately do you use ideas from evaluation and scholarly literature?) = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">We will also be looking for evidence that your thinking about this task has been informed by ideas from the evaluation literature, research and best practice. There should be no mistakes from the evaluation theory and practice perspectives. = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">6. Quality of the reflection on strengths and limitations (How well do you reflect on the strengths and limitations of your work) = =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">We will be looking for evidence that you have thought carefully about what to prioritise – what are the important parts of evaluation – and about what could be improved in your guide (there is never enough time to make things perfect). =
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">1. Scope (how well does the guide cover a range of evaluation needs in your selected domain?) **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">You can define the domain in which you think you will be carrying out evaluation tasks in the near future (e.g. evaluations that help decide which learning management system to buy for your organisation; evaluation of the success of a government program or school internal project); you should define this domain as clearly as you can in the opening part of your guide. When we make judgements about the scope and rationale of your guide, we will be judging how well we think it covers the domain you have defined.