Designing Evaluations for K-12 Robotics Education Programs

2 The Evaluation Design Process

Evaluation can be incorporated throughout the implementation and execution of robotics education programs. Formative evaluations are conducted as a program is being developed (Friedman, 2008, p. 17). The purpose of the evaluation is to provide feedback about how the robot platforms, curricula, training materials, and other aspects of the program should be modified before the program is conducted again. Summative evaluations are conducted to determine the impact of a program on its target audience (Friedman, 2008, p. 9). For robotics education programs, summative evaluation often involves measuring what students have learned and how their attitudes have changed after participating in a program.

When designing either formative or summative evaluations, it is necessary to determine both the evaluation method(s) and measurement method(s) which will be used. An evaluation method represents an overall strategy for data collection: when will data be collected and from what groups of participants. Measurement methods are the means by which data will be collected from these participants, such as conducting interviews or questionnaires.

The following sections outline a process for evaluations intended to improve a program’s design, and for evaluations intended to assess a program’s effectiveness, respectively.