Project Evaluation

Evaluation is a critical component of instructional design. It is often used throughout the development of a project as a formative method for collecting data. Instruction is then revised prior to its implementation. Summative evaluation provides instructional designers with more feedback about the success of the training.

Market Survey

I conducted this market survey of educational websites prior to the development of the Flies in Space website. I created a rubric to evaluate the sites based on their interactivity and components of effective instructional practices. I discovered that there were no educational websites about fruit flies geared toward the middle school audience. I did determine that there were numerous websites about fruit flies geared for college audiences. Other websites present environmental education concepts to middle school students; these were instrumental in designing an effective website for this audience. Components of all of these websites were integrated into the final Flies in Space site.

Statistical Analysis

Statistics are a valuable tool for analyzing the effectiveness of instruction. The statistical data analysis of guided learning demonstrates the results of a research project conducted in class. The statistics include creating histograms, conducting an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and analyzing measures of central tendency.

The SOAP statistical analysis investigates the validity of a research study about social studies curriculum. The statistics include creating histograms, conducting an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and analyzing measures of central tendency.

This analysis examines the effectiveness of guided practice in adult populations. The experiment was conducted with members of the research methods class during the summer of 2005.

Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is conducted prior to designing and developing instruction. I conducted this needs analysis as a potential project for the instructional technology seminar but did not complete the project. The topic is teaching radiation biology topics to high school students; this needs assessment investigates high school students’ biology knowledge and the effectiveness of inquiry teaching methods.