Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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blinding;
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sample sizes;
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statistical analyses.
With recommendations of costs and benefi ts of each
approach, management can decide between the approaches.
A memorandum of understanding between management and
evaluator can then be prepared, including a statement of the
level of effort that will be required to attain the goal that
management has set.
At that point the evaluator can begin to plan the logistics
of the formative evaluation. The primary audience for this
evaluation will be the instructional designer who will make
program revisions as warranted.
12.7 Conclusion
This chapter has reviewed the possibilities for formative
evaluation of training programs as well as any other kind of
program, within the framework of the program improvement
model. It can be concluded that the formative evaluation of
training programs can utilize the full range of experimental
and quasi-experimental designs, as well as any other
approaches. In this chapter, the possibilities of employing
adaptive designs have been considered. Thereby, the data
gathered in that evaluative effort can at the same time be
made available to management, during the course of the
training process, to allow decisions to be made about
program improvement. FDA has recently expressed interest
in the use of adaptive designs in clinical trials.
This does not mean that the evaluator must use any particular
design or approach. While the full range of methods and
techniques are available, the decision about which of those
