Evaluation is an important part of Curriculum Development. It is not only just about how many students have passed their course, you also need to think about other aspects of the course – such as the learners, the course contents, how well planned it was and your own teaching.
You should take a systematic approach to evaluation. Evaluation is the collection and analysis of all relevant information linked to the curriculum in the following areas:
- to promote the improvement of the curriculum
- to assess how effective and efficient the curriculum is
- to assess the views of people involved in the curriculum
Examples of questions to think about when evaluating a course:
Learners:
- What have they learned?
- How well have they done in their assessments and exams?
- Feedback from learners on course - both positive and negative?
Institution:
- Quality of planning?
- Good organisation?
- Effective communication network between staff and between staff and learners?
- Learning environment suitable?
- How are high standards maintained?
- Can the costs be justified?
- Did the course deliver what was promised?
- Was the reporting adequate?
- Did the course meet the learning objectives?
Teacher:
- How did the teacher conduct their teaching?
- How much teacher-student interaction happened in the classroom?
- Were the materials and resources useful to the course?
- Professional development of the teachers involved in the course – provision of training and staff development?
- How did the teacher motivate the learners?
- How effectively was the course organised?
- Do teachers need additional support with the course?
Course:
- Were the course contents relevant to the learners?
- Did the course bring successful results?
- What aspects of the course need replacing or revising?
- Is the time frame of the course appropriate?
- Does the structure of the course need reviewing?
There are different types of evaluation:
Formative evaluation – focus on ongoing development and improvement during a course. Find out what works well and what doesn’t work well and improve areas of concern.
Summative evaluation – this is done after completion of course, find out the value of different aspects of the course e.g. exam results and retention rates.
Quantitative data – numerical information, hard data, e.g. statistics.
Qualitative data – more subjective information e.g. classroom observation, interviews, case studies.
Both quantitative and qualitative data provide valuable information.
Product evaluation – looking at the “product” of the course – whether the goals of the course have been achieved.
Process evaluation – looking at what happens during the course – the process of the course, and how this helps to achieve the goals of the course.
The process of curriculum development evaluation is never finished – it should be ongoing so that the course is always being improved to meet the needs of the learners.
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