Evaluation: Before, During, and After

Abstract

When a learning design is implemented, it is essential to allow time for active reflection. The focus of the final E—evaluation—in the ADDIE model is on the learning design, not student achievement per se. Most evaluation is formative: reflect and respond. Formative evaluation incorporates opportunities throughout the ADDIE sequence for the designer to reflect on what has happened, is happening, or is likely to happen—and to respond accordingly. The learning designer who wants to understand and fully evaluate a learning design at its conclusion must adopt a multifaceted approach, a new Three R’s: reactions, responses, and results. Student achievement is an important element of summative evaluation, but it is not the primary determinant of whether a learning design is successful. Content acquisition is enhanced when teachers/learning designers attend to integral factors, such as affect, environment, ethos, and processes.