This paper deals with two questions: (1) what are the the applications that might be made of microcomputers in evaluation? and (2) what are the kinds of problems (personnel, organizational, and technical) that must be overcome if microcomputers are to be used effectively? The applications include proposals and planning, management, data…

Two participant observers evaluated the week-long camp experience of adult women in order to assess the appropriateness of participant observation research methods in the camp setting, to identify strengths and weaknesses of this method, and to develop guidelines for its use. The study was part of a larger evaluation of the 9th annual Women's Week…

Techniques are illustrated in this article for strengthening evaluative designs and methodologies relevant to educational programs that incorporate within their broad aims assisting in social problem-solving. (AJ)

Context effects are defined as being influences on test performance associated with the content of successively presented test items or sections. Four types of context effects are identified: (1) direct context effects (practice effects) which occur when performance on items is affected by the examinee having been exposed to similar types of…

Utilizing three different techniques, a follow-up survey of participants in a vocational education course was conducted to determine which technique collects the most useful information efficiently. The course participants were divided into thirds and, using the same questionnaire, data was collected from each third via one of the following three…

This workbook, which accompanies An Evaluation Primer (TM 007 500) consists of 19 practical exercises for applying evaluation skills to hypothetical educational programs. Each chapter corresponds to a chapter in the primer, with answers keyed accordingly. Intended to provide an introduction to evaluation, the exercises include: identifying the…

This operations manual for field staff (site monitors, site coordinators, and testers) involved in the observation and testing of children is part of a series of documents on the evaluation of Project Developmental Continuity (PDC), a Head Start demonstration program aimed at providing educational and developmental continuity between children's…

This project was one of four aircrew training development projects in a continuing study of the methodology, effectiveness, and resource requirements of the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) process. This report covers the Phase II activities of a two-phase project for the development of aircrew training for SH-2F anti-submarine warfare…

This manual for teachers, administrators, and counselors both explains the Program/Course Inventory (PCI), a data collection instrument, and provides instructions for completing the PCI form. The first section describes the PCI developed by the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools staff to collect data that define vocational education…

The inservice package for assessment team members is designed to provide skill training regarding the vocational assessment process used with special needs students. Activities within the inservice training package sensitize individuals to the purposes of infusing vocational assessment into the educational curriculum, and provide instruction on…

The philosophy and assumptions of the Multi-Attribute Utility-Bayesian Decision Theoretic model (MAUT-Bayesian model) are presented. The evaluator uses the MAUT-Bayesian model along with the knowledge of the decision-maker's, and perhaps the evaluator's own values to decide what data should be collected. Appropriate data are presented to the…

The problems, procedures, and benefits of case-study program evaluation are investigated. An evaluation plan that included several data collection methods (document review, interview, content analysis, attitude questionnaire survey, sociogram analysis) and emphasized the role of the evaluator as participant-observer, collector and synthesizer of…

This report reviews the effectiveness of national evaluation activities undertaken by the United States Office of Education, Office of Evaluation and Dissemination (OED) with regard to Title I compensatory education programs. Three major evaluations undertaken by the OED and technical assistance activities developed by the OED are described and…

This document defines a wide range of measures of the outcomes (results or impacts) of postsecondary education institutions and their programs and suggests procedures for acquiring the data needed for each measure. The outcome measures described are ones identified by a survey of institutional and state-level decision makers as providing the…

This report suggests a set of measures and procedures that local governments may use for estimating the specific impacts of development on a community's economy, natural environment, public and private services, appearance, housing, and social conditions. It also offers a framework and a methodology for a community to use in arriving at its own…