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Aging and Health Teaching

AGHE 800 – Evaluating Aging-Related Programs and Services

To enrol in this course, please visit: https://www.rehab.queensu.ca/academic-programs/aghe

This course introduces learners to evaluation principles and practice as applied to programs that address social, physical and economic determinants of wellness and participation for older adults. Learners will acquire skills necessary to identify and apply program evaluation methods to inform ongoing program development. Topics will include theoretical aspects of program evaluation, as well as strategies for program development, monitoring and change with a focus on participatory approaches. Current debates in the field will be discussed, with particular attention to issues underlying research and evaluation with older adult populations in community and institutional contexts. Attention will be given to knowledge mobilization strategies that foster inclusion, empowerment and innovation. 

After completing this course, students are expected to be able to demonstrate: 

  1. Skills in articulating and critiquing various approaches to program evaluation and development. 
  2. The ability to describe programs through depiction of the underlying program logic. 
  3. The ability to critique existing evaluation plans and reports in the context of aging-related programs and services. 
  4. The ability to prepare a plan for the evaluation of age-related programs and services. 
  5. Skills in applying evaluation knowledge to decision making. 
  6. Knowledge and understanding of strategies for reporting evaluation results to program administrators and other stakeholders for maximum utilization. 

Course is offered in:
Master of Science in Aging and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University

Sessions taught: Winter 2020, Winter 2019

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Categories
Classroom Assessment Teaching

Key Journals on Assessment

The following is a list of journals which focuses on classroom assessment and assessment in general. Descriptions presented describe the aim and scope of the respective journals. These titles are recommended for readers looking to develop a grounding in assessment theory and practice.

Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation
Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation (PARE) is an on-line journal providing access to refereed articles that can have a positive impact on assessment, research, and evaluation. Manuscripts published in PARE are scholarly syntheses of research and ideas about methodological issues and practices. PARE is intended to help members of the community keep up-to-date with effective methods, trends, and research developments from a variety of settings. PARE is committed to highlighting research that focuses on equity in assessment and measurement. To that end, we encourage the submission of manuscripts that address issues of equity and fairness – particularly articles that focuses on the assessment experiences and outcomes for historically marginalized populations.

Assessment Matters
Assessment Matters is a refereed, international journal that pushes the thinking in assessment in education research, policy and practice.

Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice
Recent decades have witnessed significant developments in the field of educational assessment. New approaches to the assessment of student achievement have been complemented by the increasing prominence of educational assessment as a policy issue. In particular, there has been a growth of interest in modes of assessment that promote, as well as measure, standards and quality. These have profound implications for individual learners, institutions and the educational system itself.
Assessment in Education
 provides a focus for scholarly output in the field of assessment. The journal is explicitly international in focus and encourages contributions from a wide range of assessment systems and cultures. The journal’s intention is to explore both commonalities and differences in policy and practice. 

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
The main objective of this international journal is to advance knowledge and dissemination of research on and about assessment, evaluation and accountability of all kinds and on various levels as well as in all fields of education. The journal provides readers with an understanding of the rich contextual nature of evaluation, assessment and accountability in education. The journal is theory-oriented and methodology-based and seeks to connect research, policy making and practice. 

Studies in Educational Evaluation
Studies in Educational Evaluation publishes original reports of evaluation studies
Four types of articles are published by the journal: 
(a) Empirical evaluation studies representing evaluation practice in educational systems around the world; 
(b) Theoretical reflections and empirical studies related to issues involved in the evaluation of educational programs, educational institutions, educational personnel and student assessment (emphasis added)
(c) Articles summarizing the state-of-the-art concerning specific topics in evaluation in general or in a particular country or group of countries; 
(d) Book reviews and brief abstracts of evaluation studies.

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy
The Canadian Journal for Educational Administration and Policy (CJEAP) is devoted to scholarly and critical works in the field of educational administration. Thearticles that it accepts for review must address administrative or policy issues relevant to education and educational systems in Canada. Comparative articles as well as expositions on educational administration in relation to sociology, philosophy, history, and theory are welcomed. It is a forum for articles addressing the administration of schools and higher education institutions, Indigenous educational contexts, and the education of adult learners. CJEAP accepts contributions from scholars, policy makers, graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in education and related fields.

Educational Assessment

Educational Assessment publishes original research on the design, analysis and use of assessment to deepen understanding of the performance and quality of individuals, groups, and programs in educational settings. It welcomes rigorous theoretical pieces and empirical studies (quantitative or qualitative) that can inform important national and international discussions in educational policy and practice.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Dr. Man-Wai Chu for her additions to this list.

Categories
Teaching

PME 828 – Conducting Quality Program Evaluations

Program personnel plan and implement programs as a way to address the needs of intended users and their communities. These needs may be rooted in learning, recreation, behaviour, culture and health and well-being to name a few. Programs are often spearheaded by individual champions or working groups. Their focus is typically on program activities and the challenge of implementation. Rarely do they plan to learn, in any systematic way, about program design, about how the program is working or about how it could be improved following implementation.  This is an issue especially when data-informed decisions have to be made about whether programs should be supported, expanded, downsized or allowed to end.

The overall learning objectives for PME 828 are to:

  • Understand the history and purposes of educational evaluation 
  • Understand the factors and practices that contribute to a quality evaluation
  • Understand current models of evaluation and the needs they serve 
  • Make decisions that lead to a defensible design for systematic evaluative inquiry
  • Collect data about program processes, stakeholder  learning or performance and accurately interpret their meaning.Make appropriate judgments about the meaning of evaluation findings
  • Critique (using current literature and principles of evaluative inquiry examined in GDPI 802) the purposes, processes and methods proposed for evaluating a program
  • Take leadership in promoting effective evidence-informed program decision-making 
  • Report effectively to program or  organizational stakeholders what could be learned through evaluation activities 
  • Take leadership in promoting evidence-informed program and policy decision-making 
  • Mentor colleagues interested in learning more about their programs
  • Be able to argue the strengths and limitations of evidence-informed decision making 

Course is offered in:
Professional Master of Education, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Course authors: Drs. Lyn Shulha, Michelle Searle, Chi Yan Lam

Sessions Taught: Winter 2020, Winter 2019, Winter 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017

Categories
Teaching

PME 827 – Planning and Implementing Effective Classroom Assessment

The assessment of learning and achievement is a global phenomenon. Over the last 2 decades there has been considerable research demonstrating how well conceived assessment can be a powerful force both in supporting learning, and as a mechanism for individual empowerment. Yet, no matter how clearly assessment policies are defined, how concisely strategies for implementing assessment are described, and how many sample instruments are available for adoption or adaptation, the planning and implementing of assessment in classrooms continues to be a complex “wicked problem”.

Students who complete this course will develop a clear sense of the multiple and overlapping purposes for assessment and be better positioned to reason, justify, and communicate their decision-making in assessment to students, their parents and administrators. In addition, they will become more confident in using assessment information to create summaries of student achievement.

The overall learning objectives for PME 827 are to:

  • To examine theories that underpin contemporary assessment practices.
  • To explore the complexity of planning and implementing classroom assessment.
  • To develop the competencies necessary to become a school leader in classroom assessment.
  • To examine issue of quality–validity, reliability, and fairness–in classroom assessment.

This course is offered in:
Professional Master of Education, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Course authors: Drs. Chi Yan Lam, and Stefan Merchant

Sessions Taught: Fall 2016, Summer 2017, Winter 2016

Categories
Teaching

GDPI/PME 802 – Program Inquiry and Evaluation

This course will guide students in conducting systematic evaluative inquiry in support of data-informed program decision-making. Students will examine the multiple purposes of program evaluation, applying the principles, methods and logic inherent in the needs of targeted program personnel and decision makers.

The overall learning objectives for GDPI 802 are:

  • To develop an understanding of theoretical frameworks for inquiring into social programs, their organizational structures, learning activities, and outputs
  • To develop an understanding of how to inquire into social programs and develop program evaluation plans
  • To develop engage in professional dialogues about program inquiry and evaluation within a community of evaluation practice
  • To articulate complex understandings and response to dilemmas in program evaluation theory and practice
  • To apply understandings about program evaluation theory to a specific context of evaluation practice

Course Offered in:

Sessions Taught: Summer 2019, Winter 2019, Fall 2019, Summer 2018