EDUC 871:Design and
Evaluation of Teacher Education Programs
Spring 2008
Wednesday 4:00-6:30PM
Allan Feldman
230 Furcolo Hall
413 545-1570
afeldman@educ.umass.edu
http://people.umass.edu/afeldman
There are three primary objectives for the course:
1) Students will learn how to design educational programs
and associated evaluation plans, and write proposals, either unsolicited or in
response to RFPs.
2) Students will be introduced to the theory of program
development. Much of this will draw upon the significant work done in teacher
education, but the course will also draw upon scholarly work in informal,
international, and development education.
3) Students will be introduced to the theories and methods
of program evaluation.
Students are required to complete all readings and
participate fully in class discussions. They will keep a notebook in which they
must regularly record their ideas, conjectures, reflections, and experiences as
they participate in the class. Students should expect to provide written
answers to questions about courses readings each week.
The major assignments for the course are described at the
end of the syllabus.
All written assignments should be prepared electronically
(e.g., in MS Word) and submitted to the class website on Spark (http://www.oit.umass.edu/webct/index.html)
Your grade in this course will be determined by your level
of completion of all assignments and your participation in the class. Read the
syllabus carefully and see the instructor if you have any questions about what
is required of you. Satisfactory work at the graduate level for all course
requirements will result in an A- in the course. Outstanding work will result
in an A. Any written work deemed unsatisfactory by the instructor will be given
back to the student with comments for improvement. The instructor will make
adjustments in these requirements for students with learning disabilities.
All course work must be completed and handed in to the
instructor by May 7, 2008. If for some reason this cannot happen, the student
must make arrangements with the instructor to complete the work before a
mutually agreed upon date. The student and instructor will draw up a contract
specifying the work that needs to be completed and the completion date. They
will both sign the contract and each will receive a copy.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to
providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical,
psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS),
Learning Disabilities Support Services (LDSS), or Psychological Disabilities
Services (PDS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to
help you succeed in this course.
If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation,
please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make
appropriate arrangements.
The integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution
of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research. Academic honesty is therefore required
of all students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Academic dishonesty
(cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, facilitating dishonesty) is prohibited in
all programs of the University.
Class |
Topic |
Assignment |
Jan. 30 |
Introduction to the course: program design and evaluation |
Critique an RFP |
Feb. 6 |
Overview of Programs |
Readings: |
Feb. 13 |
Designing programs: Elements of teacher education programs |
Readings: |
Feb. 20 |
Policy, Research, and Practice of Programs and |
Readings: |
Feb. 27 |
Multicultural teacher education |
Readings: |
March 5 |
Program design workshop |
|
March 12 |
Introduction to principles of evaluation |
Readings: |
March 19 |
Spring Break |
|
March 26 |
AERA |
|
April 2 |
Evaluation design: Introduction |
Readings: |
April 9 |
Varieties of evaluations |
Readings: |
April 16 |
Evaluation design: Participatory and community-based |
Readings: |
April 23 |
"Scientifically-based research" |
Darling-Hammond (Spark) |
April 30 |
Reporting the evaluation & Evaluating evaluations |
Readings: |
May 7 |
Group presentations and course evaluation |
Final report |
Assignments
1) Program Topic
Write one paragraph that describes the focus and purpose of
an educational program that you would like to design and evaluate. Due 2/6 via
Spark.
2) Report on professional standards
Many professional and policy organizations have published
standards for the preparation of teachers and other practitioners. Your
assignment is to find those standards, summarize them in a table, and write a
critical analysis of them. The analysis should be approximately 1-2 pages. Post
the table and your analysis in the assignment section of Spark. Due
2/13 via Spark.
3) Program prospectus
A prospectus can be defined as "an official document
giving details about something that is going to happen, for example, a stock
offering, a forthcoming publication, a new business, or a proposed
project." For this assignment you will need to produce a prospectus for your
proposed program. The prospectus should include:
1. An
abstract of no more than 50 words.
2. A
rationale in which you argue why this program is needed (no more than 500
words).
3. A
brief description of the proposed program, including a set of objectives or
goals. This should include enough information so that a reader can understand
what it is that you intend to do. Include activities and a timeline. Feel free
to use diagrams, charts, etc. This should be no more than 3 pages in length.
Due 2/27 via Spark.
4) Program design
The program design is a more fully executed description of
the project. There should be sufficient detail so that a reader would be able
to assess whether your planned activities would enable you to meet the your
objectives and those of the funding agency and/or the professional or policy
organization. You may need 10 pages or so to provide enough detail. Be prepared
to discuss your design with your peers on March 5. The design itself will be
due on 3/12 via Spark.
5) Group evaluation comparisons
The class will be divided into three groups to compare and
contrast the evaluation models in each of the three weeks' readings (4/2, 4/9
and 4/16). Structure your comparison so that you look at the pros and
cons of using each type for your project. Be prepared to present your
comparison in class using PowerPoint. Submit the PowerPoint presentation via
Spark.
6) Mini-proposal with literature review
This assignment combines the abstract, rationale and program
design that you prepared earlier (with appropriate revisions) with a literature
review that supports your objective and design. The literature review should be
between 7 and 10 pages in length and reference theoretical, empirical, and
policy documents. Due 4/16 via Spark.
7) Evaluation design
The evaluation design should describe ways that you will
gather formative and summative information to improve the program during its
lifetime, and evaluate its successes and failures at the end of the funding
period. Your design should include multiple methods. Due 4/30 via Spark.
8) Final report
On the last day of class you will be responsible for handing
in a complete "proposal" that includes an abstract, rationale,
literature review, program design, and evaluation plan. The contents can be
modified to fit the requirements of an RFP. Due 5/7 via Spark.