Friday 6 November 2009

Three Preliminary Versions of Survey Questionnaire

Assignment # 5- ECUR 809
The focus of this assignment is on clients’ level of satisfaction and their suggestions for the improvement of the Spanish Intermediate Program (SIP) offered by the Community Center in the City of Ottawa.
Overview:
This assignment aims the improvement of SIP in light of the clients' suggestions and responses to the survey questionnaire in The Community Center in the City of Ottawa. Clients in this particular case refers to students or participants of the Program “Spanish Intermediate and Conversation” (this program is complemented with Tennis Teaching) offered in the Community Center in Ottawa. According to Jody L. Fitzpatrick, James R. Sanders and Blaine R. Worthen (2004 p.100-111), there are standards and criteria to judge programs which may have a marked effect in improving the efforts of teachers and the whole community to improve programs: the purpose of the program (s), its rationale and objectives, its content, process and implementation (instructional technology and activities or strategies), and evaluation, form overall judgments about its effectiveness. Below each one is briefly explained:

1. Purpose and objectives: Community Center Programs are offered by season for all members of the community. Their rationale states that the community believes that the programs enhance growth and quality of life of the clients and their academic achievement; the teachers have the primary responsibility for their growth. Rationale of the City of Ottawa and the Community Center believe that the teachers’ performance enhances instruction, clients’ satisfaction and achievement.
Objectives or specific statements of what the project sets out to accomplish:
each teacher shall develop a program for their students in his/her area of expertise and under general guidelines provided by Ottawa City.
Specific objectives are outputs to be achieved; these are immediate or specific, concrete results (direct products of project activities). Each program is to be reviewed by the teacher and students to make changes or improvements, according to own immediate needs, for example: enhancing student achievement, performance and satisfaction, a more productive use of time, to increase professional and personal interactions and discussions, greater sharing of responsibility and leadership, increasing knowledge, involvement, and continuous learning.
2. Content: specific tasks to complete the course content in the classroom; content included in the Program kit or educational package created and published by the City of Ottawa and the Community Center.
3. Process and Implementation
: include strategies for goal achievement, activities or actions taken to achieve the program: registering to the course, attending lectures or lessons, seminars and workshops, reading or doing research, peer coaching, mentorship, creation of personal portfolios, videos and recordings, mentorship, understanding Lesson planning, workshops, and meetings, discussing contents, organizing groups and setting ‘drills’, examples, exercises, models, instructional media, training opportunities; using equipment and educational materials and supplies, etc; reflective journal, developing collaboration and learning group, speaking the language (Spanish) in a real setting (playing tennis) or other initiatives that enhance instruction and student achievement.
4. Satisfaction relates to effectiveness:
Impacts of SIP on students’ satisfaction shows in some way the effectiveness of the Program. Also, there must be long-term outcomes such as increasing knowledge, involvement, and ownership, continuous and permanent learning, increasing progressive knowledge, involvement, and ownership

Plan of Evaluation:

Who should be involved?
Engage Stakeholders:Teachers, administrators, supervisors, coordinators, volunteers and students; however, the focus of this work will be on the students or participants of the Community Center, particularly of Spanish Intermediate and Conversation (SIP).
How might they be engaged?
Students will be invited in meetings, email, survey-questionnaires.
Focus of the Evaluation:
What are you going to evaluate?
Description of Community Center: Programming (see below logic model 1)
Clients’ satisfaction – students’ reactions (see below logic model 2)
What is the purpose of the evaluation?
The purposes of this evaluation are to evaluate the level of satisfaction about (a) the organization, design and implementation (teaching) of the program; (b) their suggestions and recommendations to better achieve the goals of the program, namely, the enhancement of student learning and achievement.
Who will use the evaluation? How will they use the information?
- Teachers, administrators, supervisors, coordinators, volunteers and students.
- To assess the level of satisfaction with the organization, design and teaching of the program and to propose improvements or changes that can help teachers and students to meet the goals.
What questions will the evaluation seek to answer?
General questions:
Do Community Program (CP) helps participants or clients in their personal and professional growth and satisfaction? Is the Program meeting the goals set out by the Center? What are the reactions of students regarding the program? Are they satisfied with their achievement of goals and performance?
Specific questions:
Do objectives, content and activities match properly? How the teacher implement it?
Do Programs encourage students to develop personally and professionally?
Is the Program being used in the way that it was intended?
How is the Program perceived by students? Are they satisfied with their performance in the programs?
What information
do you need to answer the questions?
Indicators – How will I know it? Level of satisfaction of participants.
When is the evaluation needed? At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the program (s).
What evaluation design will you use? Takes in consideration the Consumer-Oriented Evaluation Approach but the focus is on the Goal-Oriented Approach.
Assessment and evaluation are best addressed from the viewpoint of the students’ reactions to 1) teachers & teaching, 2) class-assignments and 3) assignments-materials.
Collect the information
What sources of information will you use?
Existing information:
Web site – Programs – Written materials provided by the Community Center – Teachers materials – samples of students’ work and/or experiences (videos, photos, etc).
People:
Teachers, administrators and the focus will be on the students' satisfaction.
What data collection method(s) will you use?
E-mail survey questionnaire to students - and teachers - (a larger sample).
Questionnaire- Interview (a small sample of four students).
________
Bibliography:
Jody L. Fitzpatrick, James R. Sanders and Blaine R. Worthen, Program Evaluation: AlternativeApproaches and Practical Guidelines (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004) p.100
City of Ottawa: www.ottawa.ca The Glebe Community Center
Plan of evaluation: http://learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/G3658-02.pdf

Versions of Survey Questionnaire: Different versions were developed during the process of designing and testing of the survey. Each one included a sample checklist, a variety of question types such as scale rating, short answer, and open-ended; the final version is now in the web site. Two preliminary versions were designed and evaluated together with four students. They provided suggestions regarding the following issues: clarity of questions, wording, style, and importance. A third version was developed and posted in the web site of the University of Saskatchewan. The students answered the questionnaire but their concern was on correcting some discrepancies between items and the characteristics of the actual program. They also made suggestions to improve clarity, wording and style. The fourth version is the final one, which is now on the web site of the University of Saskatchewan. Below is the preliminary versions as they were presented to the students for their evaluation:
A. – Version One or Preliminary version
Short Answer: yes or not
1. Does the content cover a significant portion of the program competencies?
2. Is the content up-to-date
3. Is the course level appropriate for most students?
4. Are objectives, competencies, or tasks stated in the student materials?
5. Are tests included in the materials?
6. Are performance checklists included?
7. Is a student’s guide included that offers how to manage and perform the course theory and practice?
8. Is the material presented in a logical sequence?
Scale rating: Quality and satisfaction Judgments. Use +, 0, - to rate or degree of the quality or your satisfaction with specific aspects of the course:
Quality and satisfaction of objectives, competencies, and/or tasks_____
Degree or match between learning activities and objectives______
Quality of test tests and degree of match with objectives________
Quality and satisfaction with of performance checklists and degree of match with objectives________
Quality and satisfaction of directions for how students are to proceed through the materials_______
Quality of visuals, videos, games, experiences, practices_______
Overall design of the learning activities for individualized instruction_____
Quality and satisfaction on safety practices_____
Satisfaction with degree of freedom from bias with respect to sex, race, origin, age, religion, etc,?________
Quality and satisfaction of content list or the course content-map and competencies covered by the course_________
Short answer: brief comment
Does the course have basic elements, such as those listed below? Please mark with an “x” and make a comment if necessary:
a) Clearly stated outcomes objectives____
b) Sufficient directions_____
c) Other materials required____
d) Prerequisite knowledge based and existing programs___
e) Fit with knowledge base and existing programs___
Process information: what is the nature and frequency of interactions among students or clients relevant others? ________________________________
Have these interactions being evaluated?____________________________
Open ended questions: Please explain or illustrate
- Is evaluation an integral part of (a) the development and (b) the implementation of the program?
- Is there evidence of effectiveness available regarding the course?

B. Second Version: the modified version based on the testing of the survey with four individuals:
Short answer: Yes or not
1. Is the program content of Intermediate Spanish up-to-date?
2. Is the program level appropriate for most students?
3. Are objectives, competencies, or tasks satisfactory stated?
4. Is the program presented in a logical sequence?
5. Are you satisfied with the program have basic elements, such as those listed below?
Scale rating: Choice decision-making. Please write on the spaces below: Very Good (VG), Good (G) or Bad (B), and make a comment if necessary:
a) Outcomes, objectives, competencies or tasks____
b) Directions or instructions for how students are to proceed through the materials___
c) Materials ____
d) Prerequisite knowledge based ___
e) Performance checklists____
f) Student’s guide_____
g) Fit with knowledge base and program___
h) Tests
Scale rating: Judgments. Use +, 0, - to rate or degree of the quality or your satisfaction with specific aspects of the course:
Degree or match between learning activities and objectives______
Quality of test tests and degree of match with objectives________
Quality and satisfaction with of performance checklists and degree of match with objectives________
Quality of visuals, videos, games, experiences, practices_______
Overall design of the learning activities for individualized instruction_____
Quality and satisfaction on safety practices_____
Satisfaction with degree of freedom from bias with respect to sex, race, origin, age, religion, etc,?________
Quality and satisfaction of content list or the course content-map and competencies covered by the program_________
Open ended question:
Please feel free to make any suggestions, comments that can help us to improve our Program on Spanish Intermediate (complemented with Tennis instruction) for the next Spring/Summer:
________________________________________________________________

Third Version of the survey questionnaire: It was posted in the web site and the students evaluated it. The students made different corrections and suggestions to improve it. Based on their comments, most items were re-written and the questionnaire was re-organized and redesigned.

Preview of Survey_ #17783_ ..

Please see below Planning Program Evaluation Steps that served as the basis for the whole work.

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