Defining Objectives for Evaluation

Evaluation is not a single act but a procedure with clear steps. The steps are: defining objectives, identifying situations that let learners express the behaviour, and selecting or developing the instruments, then recording and summarizing the evidence. This article takes the first and most important step.

Why defining objectives comes first

Evaluation does not begin after teaching ends. It begins as the objectives are set, because the whole purpose of evaluation is to find the extent to which those objectives are realized. You cannot measure the realization of an objective you have not defined.

So the way to go about evaluation is to develop procedures that collect evidence about each of the kinds of content and behaviour implied by each major objective. Two short examples show the link between an objective and the evidence it demands. An objective to acquire knowledge about contemporary social problems calls for evidence of that knowledge. An objective to develop methods of analysing social problems and appraising proposed solutions calls for evidence of skill in analysing problems and appraising solutions. The objective dictates the evidence.

Flashcard

Why is defining objectives the first step of evaluation?

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Answer

Evaluation measures the realization of objectives, so it begins as they are set

Each objective dictates the evidence to collect: an objective to know about social problems calls for evidence of that knowledge, and so on. Without a defined objective, there is nothing to evaluate.

The two-dimensional analysis as a specification

The two-dimensional analysis of objectives, the behavior-by-content grid met when stating objectives, now does double duty. It serves as a basis for planning both the learning experiences and the evaluation procedures. In effect, the two-dimensional analysis of objectives is a set of specifications for evaluation.

It works because each axis tells the evaluator something different:

1. The behaviour headings help identify the behaviours to be appraised, so the evaluator knows what kind of behaviour to look for and find out whether it is developing.
2. The content headings help identify the content to be sampled in connection with appraising that behaviour.

For an objective to develop knowledge about social problems, the behaviour is knowledge and the content heading is the area of knowledge to sample. For an objective to develop interest in literature, the behaviour is developing interest and the content is the area in which to develop it. Both content and behaviour are sampled together to check whether the objective is actually being reached.

The developer’s role and the clarifying power of evaluation

This puts a clear responsibility on the curriculum developer: to define curriculum objectives clearly, so they can serve as a guide for selecting and planning learning experiences and for evaluation. When objectives are not clearly defined, an evaluator has an unclear conception of what to evaluate, and the whole process loses its footing.

There is a useful side effect here. The evaluation process forces a developer who has not previously clarified the objectives into a further process of clarification. Trying to build an evaluation exposes every vague objective, because you cannot measure what you cannot state. So defining objectives is the most important step in developing an evaluation, and evaluation, in turn, sharpens the objectives.

Flashcard

Why is defining objectives called the most important step in developing an evaluation?

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Answer

Unclear objectives mean an unclear idea of what to evaluate

Clear objectives guide both the experiences and the evaluation. Building an evaluation also forces a developer to clarify any vague objective, because you cannot measure what you have not clearly stated.