Example: Evaluation plan - ~FAST Tex
Program description
The purpose of the Faculty And Student Teams for Technology (~FAST Tex) program is to support technology-based instruction at UT Austin by partnering technology-literate undergraduate and graduate students with faculty to help them incorporate technology into their instruction. The program is operated by the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT), which provides managerial, administrative, and technical support.
UT Austin faculty submit project proposals to CIT in the fall. Student developers are hired by program staff and assigned to faculty projects based on their technological skill set and project needs. Student developers are paid hourly wages by CIT using Instructional Technology Appropriations Committee (ITAC) grant funds and are supervised by both faculty clients and program staff. Depending on student abilities and project needs, some projects are staffed by multiple students and some students work on multiple projects.
Stakeholders
- Suzanne Rhodes, program manager (sponsor)
- Michael Sweet, Jane Ann Parker (program staff)
- Center for Instructional Technologies/DIIA
- Student developers
- Faculty clients
- ITAC (funding source)
Central questions
- Are projects being completed on time and within budget while meeting faculty expectations?
- Is the program preparing students for the work world by helping them to learn project management and technical skills?
- Are faculty clients and student developers satisfied with the program and its support services?
Evaluation purpose and uses
The purpose of evaluating the ~FAST Tex program is to assess the success of the program and gather information that will inform future program changes and growth. Formative evaluation results will be used to make adjustments to the program during the 2004 program year and in planning for the 2005 program year. Summative results will be used to assess the success of the program and will inform future program changes and planning.
Project components
The 2004 evaluation plan includes:
- Developing and administering an online mid-term survey of students currently participating in the program
- Developing and administering both faculty and student end-of-semester survey instruments,
- Conducting a focus group with students participating in the program
- Conducting an audit of program outputs such as on-time project completions, number of student work hours, number of students served
- Conducting a quality review of individual program projects using a team of reviewers selected by program staff
- Writing a program evaluation report for the spring 2004 project cycle
Program staff will have the opportunity to review and comment on each of the project components.
Project responsibilities
Evaluators are responsible for the overall management of the project as well as instrument creation and administration, data management and analysis, and the reporting of findings. Program staff is responsible for providing evaluators timely, periodic feedback to evaluators. Timely feedback from program staff is critical to the development of valid evaluation instruments and in meeting target dates. In addition, program staff will assist evaluators in the technical aspects of uploading and testing online survey instruments, identifying research participants, and selecting reviewers for the Quality Review of Individual Projects. Program staff will have an opportunity to review and comment on all evaluation instruments and drafts of written reports.
| Begin date | End date | Task |
|---|---|---|
3/5/04 |
4/15/04 |
Develop & Administer Mid-Term Student Survey |
3/5/04 |
4/15/04 |
Organize & Conduct Student Focus Group |
4/15/04 |
5/28/04 |
Develop & Administer End-of-Semester Student and Faculty Surveys |
5/25/04 |
7/10/04 |
Conduct Program Outputs Audit |
5/25/04 |
7/21/04 |
Conduct Quality Review of Individual Projects |
7/21/04 |
8/30/04 |
Analyze Data & Write Report |
