Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
12.1 Introduction
Program evaluation depends upon program implementation.
If a program has not ever been implemented, then there is
nothing to evaluate - nothing except the absence of
implementation itself.
As we saw in Chapter 9, there are two kinds of
implementation - Pilot Implementation and Final
Implementation. In the case of a pilot implementation, the
results of the program evaluation can be fed back, closing
the loop, facilitating further refi nement of the training
program. This is called a “formative evaluation.” As Robert
Gagné and Leslie Briggs have stated, “Formative evaluations
provide data on the basis of which to revise and improve the
materials, the lesson plans, the performance tests, and indeed
the operation of the entire instructional system.” 1 If the
evaluation shows that the training module has shortcomings,
those shortcomings are fed back to be analyzed again.
Further design and development efforts follow, until the
module meets organizational needs. Thereupon there is a
fi nal implementation, and an evaluation that documents the
extent to which the training program meets the organization's
needs. This is called a “summative evaluation.” Gagné and
Briggs state:
￿ ￿ ￿ ￿ ￿
Summative evaluation is usually undertaken when
development of an instructional entity is in some sense
completed, rather than on-going. Its purpose is to
permit conclusions to be drawn about how well the
instruction has worked. 2
The program improvement model can be conceptualized
as having two paths leading out of the development phase.
One path leads to pilot implementation, followed by
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