Evaluating the Curriculum from the Lens of the Saylor, Alexander and Lewis Model
This model may be placed in the "means ends" group. "The classical model (like Tyler, Beauchamp, and Saylor and associates), in contrast, is a means-end model. It assumes a desired end (goals and objectives), a means of attaining this end (learning experiences), and a process (evaluation) for determining whether the means in fact has resulted in the desired end." (Livenburg, 2011)
This model has five components for evaluation. This model comes closest to the actual program activities that were initiated by the planning committee for this curriculum. This curriculum was adapted from two successful models at other Colleges. Program features were adjusted to meet local planning considerations. These are from Olivia:
1. The goals, sub-goals, and objectives.Goals: (using Olvia, p.437) Analysis of the needs of society.
The Associate Faculty Development Institute (AFDI) provides the structure and incentives to
foster the knowledge, skills, and values of adjunct faculty in ways that leads directly to
increased student degree completion and learning outcomes, as described by the Accelerating
Greatness 2013 Strategic Plan. The AFDI is also a way to recognize and reward adjunct faculty
who commit to the goals of Ivy Tech as expressed by Accelerating Greatness 2013 StrategicPlan. (College, AFDI, 2011)The goal expresses the colleges understanding of its role in a free society and its responsibility to provide training for adjunct faculty to meet the needs of students taking courses of study at the College. They include an analysis of the needs of society and the individual and also address the needs of local and state-wide stakeholders.
2. Sub-Goals: Needs of the Individual (Student and Adjunct Faculty)
1. Increase the completion rate of students enrolled at the college to that of the college's cohort. 2. Increase the teaching skills of the adjunct faculty in the five core areas that have been identified on the 2011 CCSSE Community College survey of Student Engagement. Objectives: 1 Build a common core of teaching courses for the adjunct faculty of the college.
2. The program of education as a totality.
This program of studies is intended to address the problems that have been known to exist but due to limitations on staff, and lack of funding, have not yet been addressed. The need to formulate a comprehensive plan as well as attracting potential stakeholders to invest in the program has caused the College to look at several other programs that have been developed by other community colleges to address these same issues. Two programs that were used as models were, the Valencia Community College and
3. The specific segments of the education program.
The program of studies consists of two parts, thirty hours of core courses and 30 hours of elective courses. The courses may consist of of lectures, group discussions around a common theme, focused instruction on a particular subject area, i.e. like math, higher order thinking, writing etc.
4. Instruction.
Instruction will very with the presenter. Presenters will have developed a instructional proposal that is consitent with the segment of instruction that they are supposed to teach. The effectiveness of the instruction will be evaluated through the comments of the participants on a course evaluation form and from mapping the areas covered against the CCSSE areas so that coverage of these areas is covered and linkage can be made to the responses made by students and faculty on the CCSSE annual evaluation.
5. Evaluation program.
As described above, the evaluation program will consist of both internal and external evaluation. The Internal components shall consist of 1. a teacher survey which will be completed upon the completion of each course taken from the institutes curriculum. 2. A survey that will be completed by students which will ask the rate elements that will be taken from the five elements of student engagement. The expectation is that teachers who have taken or are taking courses at the ADFI will cause an increase in student engagement and a increase in student retention and graduation rates. The external evaluation components will consist of the yearly CCSSE survey of faculty and students. The improvement of student engagement in the areas listed on the CCSSE survey will be the primary measurement of the success of the program.
Evaluation of the Total Program (Olvia, p.441) As mentioned before the success of the Faculty Development program will be evaluated primarily on the percent of students that show improvement in the areas of student engagement which it is hoped will lead to increased student graduation rates for the College. This may be thought of as a rather narrow focus to totally define student and school success. It may be better to not only focus on student success factors, but also teacher success factors. The null curriculum would be the message that other factors of learning, which are not measured do not count toward the total success of the program. This assumption will need to be examined and other factors such as teacher learning in the student engagement areas should be considered as well.