Describing learning as the interrelation between behavioral, environmental, and personal factors.   According to Social Cognitive Theory, interactive learning allows students to gain confidence through practice. A spacedog can practice spacewalks using simulators to overcome his fears before his first spaceflight. Problem How do people’s experiences, environments, and behaviors affect how they learn? Theory Social [...]

Actively assimilating knowledge while constructing and interpreting new ideas.   The core of Constructivism is learning by doing. The next time this cat wants to go fishing, he’ll try a different approach. Problem How do people go beyond their personal experience in order to learn and implement new concepts and ideas? Theory Constructivism has its [...]

Actively engaging students who work in collaboration. According to Cooperative Learning theory, you can read or hear about driving, but you can’t truly learn how to drive until you actually get behind the wheel. Problem How do interactivity and reality-based learning make people learn more effectively? Theory Cooperative Learning theory, an offshoot of Constructivism, incorporates [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby Selecting a reporting method that will improve the odds for implementation is critical. When developing your evaluation presentation, think about the needs of your stakeholders. Problem You have completed your evaluation and have compiled your results. Now you need to inform your stakeholders of your conclusions while increasing the chances that your [...]

Analyzing data can help you refine your web site to reach your target audience. Web analysis gives you an inside view of the activites of your users. Problem It’s difficult to gauge your site’s effectiveness because you don’t know who is visiting the site or which pages they are visiting. Solution Utilize software to analyze [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby Bringing in an external evaluator can overcome staff resistance. Is everyone happy as hippos? if so, why resistance to evaluation? Problem There is a consensus among the staff that an evaluation is unnecessary because the program is thought to work just fine. Solution Hire an experienced, external evaluator to help you plan [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby Avoiding survey pitfalls can help ensure success. Simplifying Surveys Whenever possible, keep your survey simple. Long, complicated surveys often cause participants to give up. If you need more detailed information, consider using two different surveys. One can be a simple overview of the content you need to evaluate and can be widely [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby A useful evaluation plan incorporates a number of factors. This penguin did a thorough evaluation and concluded that he is short. This was not useful news.  Problem Your evaluation was expensive, but the results are not very useful. Solution Accurately define your stakeholders and their needs, and use that information to develop [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby Skilled project management can mean the difference between success and failure. Managing your project effectively requires that you see the forest and the trees, and that you look at yourself. Problem You have tight budget constraints, numerous important deadlines, a small staff to accomplish a large task, and you need to keep [...]

Author: Patrick Parnaby Using a variety of evaluation techniques can reveal hidden truths about your program. Evaluation isn’t helpful unless you measure the right things.  Problem You’ve implemented the feedback from your focus groups, but your project is still failing. You are confused because test users say your program is great, but no one is [...]