The four types of evaluation support generic decision-making categories, following Stufflebeam’s idea.

Context Evaluation

A practical school administrator should prioritise understanding context evaluation over the other four categories of programme evaluation, even if they are all vital for managing information about educational programmes and services. Its importance often centres on three aspects that frequently influence whether decisions about educational curricula succeed or fail. Context assessment is useful for both short- and long-term planning decisions.

In many school systems, planning has evolved into an intellectual exchange between coworkers that reinforces positions taken by important decision-makers on a variety of topics. For a time, lack of expertise (maybe because of an excess of staff theorists), and dedication (fear of losing important decision makers), the planning process’s accommodations may be dismissed as administrative gimmicks that divert organisational resources from a school district’s day-to-day operations.

The second point is that context evaluation never stops or is extended for a service or project. The dynamic character of educational programmes makes them susceptible to modification, even after thorough and methodical design. The significance of the continuous nature of context evaluation might be downplayed if educational programmes were designed, produced, and implemented in a human-free environment.

Thirdly, context evaluation keeps on offering a baseline or reference point of data intended to look at the original goals and objectives of the plan. It permits close coordination between choices made following predetermined aims and objectives and the result of the project. At any point throughout a program’s lifespan, school administrators are free to review the original aims and objectives, overlay them with current events, and decide whether to continue, halt, or refocus the programme and its resources. The end effect is a reduction or avoidance of “after-the-fact” or “post-mortem” evaluations of educational programmes and services once they are finished.

Input Evaluation

The emphasis switches from planning decisions to resource allocation to meet the programme as one goes from context evaluation. A thorough assessment of this kind will yield valuable information on current initiatives and activities. It also offers a useful assessment of the effectiveness of the current programmes. There is a significant gap between what is and what is needed if, for instance, a school’s input analysis reveals a strong emphasis on highly intellectual, advanced instructional programmes while the context evaluation finds a strong need for fundamental skill emphasis. By focusing resources on areas with the most need, the building principal will be able to reduce inefficient usage and waste of limited resources with the use of this kind of input evaluation. It is suggested that resources be shifted and that their type and quantity be adjusted as a result of the input evaluation.

Process Evaluation

Process evaluation is the definition, collection, and reporting of data whenever project staff members need it, particularly in the beginning phases of a project. Process evaluation is required to give people in charge of carrying out plans and processes regular feedback once a course of action has been approved and implementation has started. The three primary goals of process evaluation are to (1) identify or anticipate flaws in the procedural design or its execution stage; (2) supply data for pre-programmed decisions; and (3) keep a log of the procedure while it is carried out.

Read: Need and Implications of Evaluation Process in Management

Process assessment involves several tactics, one of which is to continuously evaluate the project’s possible sources of failure, such as interpersonal interactions, communication channels, and resource sufficiency.

Projecting and servicing planned decisions that the project manager must make throughout project implementation, such as selecting selected schools to participate in the project specifically, is another tactic. Another tactic is to make a list of the key components of the project design, including the concept to be taught and the volume of discussion to be held, and then use this information to describe what happens. This allows for the assessment of whether or not goals were met. Occasionally, the process or design is not to blame for the failure to achieve a goal.

It’s critical to understand that the process evaluator(s) use both official and informal methods for gathering data. This covers a variety of tools and records, such as interaction analysis, open-ended response sheets, interviews, rating scales, diaries, and semantic differential instruments used in staff meetings, as well as programme evaluation and review technique (PERT) networks.

It’s also critical to understand that the effectiveness of the context and input evaluations determines the outcome of the process assessment. Process evaluation is less necessary the more appropriate the context and input evaluations are; on the other hand, the more inadequate the context and input evaluations are, the more demanding and important it is to conduct a thorough and adequate process evaluation.

Product Evaluation

Product evaluation is the fourth category of evaluation. Its goal is to assess and evaluate results after each programme cycle as well as whenever needed throughout the project’s duration. Product evaluation provides insight into what is, but policymakers frequently utilise product expectations to define the aims and objectives of certain programmes and initiatives. Context, input, and process evaluation become more tangible when a board of trustees or an education board establishes a product aim or expectation.

The evaluation used to refer solely to the assessment of the product; context, method, and other variables had to be incorporated to enable an evaluation process that acknowledged as many of the diverse components of the overall evaluation contents as feasible. Put another way, meeting product expectations requires the use, modification, and adjustment of context, input, and process as tools, while expectations for the product themselves are real policy issues.

A range of facts need to be taken into account when evaluating a product. The context input and process evaluations can provide significant decision data if the policy setters have realistically created the product expectation, even though the product evaluation outcomes are rather accurate and simple. Adjustments to input or modifications to the process can alter product evaluations.

Read our blog: AABMS Blogger

A teaching method is a series of sequential steps that an instructor uses to help students meet learning objectives. Put differently, a teaching method in the context of a classroom is a sequence of interconnected, progressive actions taken by both the instructor and the students to achieve the lesson’s overall and targeted goals.

Criteria for choosing a teaching method

The significance of selecting the appropriate teaching methodology is widely acknowledged. Various authors have proposed a number of criteria for this aim because there isn’t a quick and easy way to choose an instructional strategy.

Hudgins (1971) proposed the following characteristics as suitable: content, foundation commitments, students’ experiences, aims, goals, and objectives.

Brown (1992) promoted the use of pressure group criteria, technological criteria, psychological criteria, philosophical criteria, and practicality as selection factors for choosing a teaching technique.

Although these standards are valuable, some of them are not directly applicable to curricula at educational institutions. A specific teaching strategy must be related to the qualities of the students and the kind of learning it is meant to facilitate in order to be effective and suitable. The factors listed below should be taken into account while choosing a teaching strategy.

Read: Principles of curriculum organization in school education

1. The profile of learners

A teacher must consider the age of their students, their past knowledge, their preferred learning style, and their learning preferences, such as fast or slow learners, while selecting a teaching approach. A teacher will be forced to employ a method that makes the lesson or subject matter easier for the slow learners to understand if there are more slow learners in the class than fast learners.

2. Size of the class

The size of our courses and classes will vary, with some teaching sessions having extremely small to very large class sizes. It is evident that class size matters when choosing a technique because certain ones are inappropriate for groups that are too small or too big. A small group, for instance, might benefit from the discussion method, but not a group that is excessively big.

3. The learning objectives

Determining the right teaching approach requires careful consideration of the learning objectives, which act as the focal points of our instruction. We focus on knowledge, or the cognitive domain, in our classrooms, which is best served by projects, demonstrations, and other hands-on learning experiences; for practical skills, the lecture approach, brainstorming sessions, and discussions are more appropriate.

4. Local restrictions

Any local restrictions should be taken into account when choosing a method. The time allotted and the facilities—which include textbooks and resource materials—are the two most crucial variables. It goes without saying that a method cannot be employed if a necessary component is missing, such as a demonstration piece of equipment. In the same way, if there wasn’t enough time for a field trip, there would need to be another approach, like making a video recording.

5. Autonomy of students

The degree of student autonomy is becoming more and more important when choosing teaching techniques; however, this is more common in developed nations where students are typically more independent and have more options when it comes to how they do their university coursework. Perhaps this shouldn’t worry us too much in Africa right now, but it is something to think about if we want to become more learner-oriented in the future.

6. Likes and dislikes of the lecturers

This is brought up since there is proof that the preferences and experiences of lecturers influence the approach they choose. This is influenced by their ideology, style, and value system, in addition to their prior experiences and self-assurance in utilizing novel, frequently uncontrollable techniques. We won’t go into detail about this now; instead, we’ll just point out that lecturers need to be updated on new material on a regular basis and that teaching methods workshops are necessary.

7. Conducting the Examination

This restricts the approach that can be used to teach a subject as well. For instance, teachers constantly search for exam formats and design their lessons so that students can successfully complete exams of this nature. When it comes to purpose, we must understand how to set objectives in order to calculate the necessary learning level.

Read: An overview of the procedure of content selection in education

Learning objectives

Since learning objectives set the direction for our instruction, they must be specified in order to choose an effective teaching strategy. Everyone agrees that objectives must be stated, but there is considerably less consensus over the proper level of specificity. It needs to be noted that many of us often tend to select a higher level of objective than is really required.

Organization in teaching

Teaching can be a difficult job because educators are expected to perform a variety of tasks in modern society. Organizing oneself, one’s classroom, and one’s pupils is essential for success in the teaching profession. Before implementing an organizing system in their classrooms, educators should envision the outcomes they hope to achieve as they work to become better organizers. A few principles can be learned to aid.

Punctuality and learning

When a classroom is organized, pupils know what is expected of them, are in the right place at the right time, and the teacher is prepared with engaging lessons and evaluation tools. Students’ education suffers when there is no effective tardy policy in place, causing them to arrive late for class. Students who arrive late have an impact on not just the tardy student but also other students who have to wait for them or put up with a small disruption while they get inside the room.

Students acquire valuable life skills

Students must be taught the value of industry, tenacity, and correctness in their work, in addition to the necessity of being on time. They won’t be able to adjust to living in a community and working in the real world without these abilities. Students will benefit from a framework that educators and educational institutions provide that supports these behaviors.

Proper “housekeeping” maintains the learning focus

The classroom operates much more efficiently when simple rules are followed, such as when pencil sharpening is permitted or how students can use the restroom without interfering with class. This frees up more time for instruction and student learning. Instructors who do not have procedures in place for handling these and other housekeeping tasks squander valuable class time on unrelated issues that do not affect the learning and performance of their students. The teacher is free to genuinely instruct the students after organizational mechanisms are in place, understood, and followed by the students. The planned lesson plan may be the main emphasis of the day rather than a student’s permission to use the restroom right now.

Effective organization leads to fewer discipline issues

Students are provided with a lesson-centered framework for the start of the day when a teacher has a warm-up exercise written on the board as they arrive. Upon entering the classroom, students are expected to take their seats and get to work. Students have less free time to talk and possibly cause disruptions when there is a warm-up assignment available every day. Disruptions in the classroom can be reduced by implementing a late work policy. If a teacher does not have a procedure in place for assigning assignments to absent students, the teacher will have to waste valuable time at the start of class deciding what assignment to assign, which will leave the classroom unattended for a short while and invite disruptions even before the lesson starts.

Read our blog: AABMS Blogger