Running head: PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

Personal Project and Evaluation Methods

Lydia Romero
AET/535
June 16, 2014
Cathy Watkins

PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

Personal Project and Evaluation Methods

What this paper will encompass will be the synthesis of what I have learned about
assessment and evaluation in adult training and how I will evaluate my own project or training
program that I created in prior courses. This will be the platform where I demonstrate what
definition of evaluation I subscribe to based on the two main sources that have influenced my
thinking, Suskie and Bantas Assessing Student Learning and Boulmetis and Dutwins The ABCs
of Evaluation. First I will start off by introducing my training program and explain why I would
want to evaluate it. Then I will discuss my opinion about the two main definitions of evaluation
that have been proposed in The ABCs of Evaluation. I will conclude this paper with selecting the
proper evaluation model for my particular training project and explain why I chose it.
In my personal life I encountered many situations where people I knew were suffering
mentally and emotionally, or they knew someone who was mentally afflicted and they didnt
know how to help them; I didnt know how to help them. I started researching depression first,
and once I realized that prolonged depression was a mental disorder, I then understood why so
many people go undiagnosed and without help. The problem is simply that they dont recognize
that they actually have a problem. They think that the dark cloud that depression creates is
normal and they dont even suspect that it can actually dissipate or vanish altogether with the
proper treatment. Then I began to see how insidious depression really was and that it could truly
be a symptom of greater trouble, like grave mental disorders. Theres an array of them that exist
where depression is really a consequence of being afflicted by them. I felt like if people could
identify what those disorders were, identify what their own symptoms were and understood the
root causes, then perhaps they could be empowered to create a plan of attack and determine

PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

whether they can help themselves or seek professional help. This is how the training program I
call, Be Your Own Therapist1 was born.
The overall goal of the training is to accurately distinguish or define mental disorders for
the purposes of assessing whether or not one is truly dealing with a disorder so that a plan of
action to overcome it can be set into motion. Activities range from a variety of opportunities to
learn and grow and outcomes are intimately relevant to the activity. They include group
discussions, informative and anecdotal lectures, journaling, exposure to helpful resources, stressreducing techniques, and demonstrating an understanding and change in behavior. The intended
outcome of this series of trainings is that students emerge with a better understanding of what
they are dealing with. The training culminates in creating a personalized plan of action which
causes them to be accountable for their own actions after the course is over. The idea is to follow
through with their discoveries; if it was to seek professional help through therapy or medication
or to make a lifestyle change then the ultimate purpose of the training would be complete.
I realize that my training program, just like any other, would need to be evaluated as a
proposed project before it can even become available to the public and also it will continue to be
evaluated for various purposes and for multiple audiences outside of being done for my own
interest in improving the quality of my instruction (Suskie & Banta, 2009). I understand that
there will be many parties involved in the creation, production, and carrying out of the program,
such as sponsors, facilitators, the board of education, administrators, stakeholders and students.
Boulmetis and Dutwin reiterate, Many experts agree that an evaluation should not only assess
program results but also identify ways to improve the program evaluated. This is why I feel like
the definition of evaluation I subscribe to is, evaluation is the systematic process of collecting
1

The title of my program training was directly inspired by the YouTube video sponsored by Google Tech Talks, Be
Your Own Therapist. It is an enlightening talk given by Robina Courtin, uploaded on October 7, 2008.

PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

and analyzing data in order to determine whether and to what degree objectives have been made
or are being achieved and yet my evaluators will subscribe to the other definition, in order to
make a decision (Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2005, p.4).
Both definitions are individually relevant and substantive, but I truly feel that the one that
relates to change or decision making theoretically stems from more of an administrative interest
rather than from the intrinsic value of education. This doesnt suggest that I have ill thoughts
toward that view, I feel it is definitely viable when considered for the purposes of program
functionality or plainly put, cost. Boulmetis and Dutwin suggest that the audience determines
what kind of data is collected which drives the what for in evaluation. I do agree with that.
When a trainer sets out to evaluate a program, the first question should be, why am I
evaluating? The purpose of evaluation is crucial because it dictates where you will start and
what you will be analyzing. If wanting to know how effective a program is in terms of how
knowledgeable are the students after the course- then collecting data on cost and expenses would
be futile. However, if one is looking for efficiency, then the motivation for that evaluation would
be based on entirely different variables. Boulmetis and Dutwin state that evaluating
effectiveness, efficiency and impact are the three most important levels of program evaluation.
They further clarify the definition of evaluation, We can define evaluation more precisely as a
process. The process is guided by the reason for doing the evaluation in the first place
(Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2005). Once the reason for evaluation is identified and the audience is
also considered then the evaluation itself will need to be drawn out. Evaluators need a model of
evaluation to adhere to so that the purpose and outcome of the evaluation is put to good use.
Considering the five evaluation models proposed by Boulmetis and Dutwin, the model
that best fits my program especially initially, would be the Goal-free model because it would

PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

prove an effective model to help describe what the program really is and prove that it can help its
population (Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2005). They describe the Goal-free method as an evaluation
that considers the actual effect of a program based on the needs of the clients and attempts to
satisfy the question, are their needs being met? They further describe this method as one
needing to be conducted by an unbiased party, one who is unaware of the stated goal so that their
results are untainted by opinion. Also, there is no determined check list to go off of. They
assert that categories will naturally emerge from observation. I believe that if this program
would prove to be effective, then the cost of the program can be justified and future stakeholders
would be more inclined to help sponsor.
Throughout this course I have learned the fine line that exists between assessments and
evaluation of adult learning. They are so difficult to separate because they are steps in a process
that occur simultaneously. However, what sets them apart is their use or what they will be used
to do. Suskie and Banta state, evaluation is using assessment information to make an informed
judgmentevaluation defined this way is the last two steps of the assessment
processassessment results only guide us; they do not dictate decisions to us. As an educator
making assessments seems more practical and obviously relevant to my work. Evaluation
appears to be a bit out of my scope. I have realized that they are actually intertwined. I may not
be the individual conducting the evaluation on my work, but I do know that understanding that
process is vital to my role as an educator. Ultimately, both assessing and evaluating address the
question, have they learned? and both are necessary components of program function.

PERSONAL PROJECT AND EVALUATION METHODS

References
Boulmetis, J., & Dutwin, P. (2005). The ABCs of evaluation: Timeless techniques for program
and project managers (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Suskie, L., & Banta, T. (2009). Assessing student learning: A Common sense guide (2nd ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.