The evaluation phase consists of two aspects: formative and summative assessment. In the former, students are surveyed and assessed early and often to make sure they, and the course, are on track. In the latter, feedback from throughout and following the course is incorporated into an iterative process. Often, after the evaluate phase one would loop back to the beginning of the ADDIE (Links to an external site.) process and repeat it.
CONTINUOUSLY SURVEY YOUR STUDENTS.
Don’t wait until the end of the semester to gather student feedback. Work with your students a few weeks into the course to see how things are going, what the pain points are, and what could be better.
- Incorporating Student Feedback in Your Course (Links to an external site.)
Northwestern University
Excerpt: “In my courses, I aim to send students a short anonymous survey between weeks 4 and 5. I aim earlier if the course is ‘newer’ or something seems ‘off’ so I have more time to adapt. I usually ask the same questions and then I summarize the feedback for the students and lay out a plan to address/improve the concerns.”
ITERATE, ITERATE, ITERATE.
Don’t get discouraged! Try to remember that if you’re frustrated, you’re learning (just like your students!). Failures don’t always mean your approaches won’t work; they often mean you need to evaluate, iterate, and try again.
- 5 Benefits of Iterative Design in eLearning (Links to an external site.)
eLearning Industry, March 2016
Excerpt: “1. Identify issues at the earliest possible stage, 2. Collect valuable feedback throughout the process, 3. Allow for more course design time, 4. Produce a more polished finished product, 5. Put theory into practice”