Evaluation models

The first model of evaluation I have found is the “Goal-Free Evaluation” model.  In this model the person evaluating measures and observes the actual processes and outcomes, without knowing the purpose and goals of the learner.  The goal-free evaluator would ask questions like “What does the program actually do?”  Rather than “What does it intend to do?”  A comprehensive needs assessment is conducted and data is collected.  This method is less subject to bias.  It tends to focus more on human feeling and experience.  The evaluator is not given any information that would give them specific program goals or any information on the objectives.

This Evaluation model could be used for checking science fair projects.  The evaluator comes in and looks over the science fair projects with no prior knowledge or information on what the students researched for their individual topics.  The goal-free evaluator would be judging the projects on what the students have done and what conclusions they came up with without knowing the actual processes or outcomes before hand.  And the evaluator could use a qualitative checklist in evaluating projects, guiding them through what the learner’s objectives are and what was expected.

The second model of evaluation is “The Connoisseurship” model.  This method provides a framework for experimental design evaluations.   It focuses on distinct qualities in a variety of different settings.  The connoisseur’s evaluate a setting by looking at the good qualities that bring out the positive in a situation.  Connoisseurship is the “art of appreciation”   There are two major implications of this model holistic approach to the analysis and data interpretation and the varied perspectives in the evaluation tasks. 

This evaluation model is for an established or experienced curriculum.  Where one would ask…”What is it that we want students to learn?” 

I see this model being used in rubric form.  One evaluates the end result by focusing on the distinct qualities needed to get the points.  Each part of the rubric is a different attribute that contributes to the whole grade.  In a rubric, you have those different objectives set and depending on the student’s effort and completeness of each area the student thus gets the points deemed necessary after evaluation.