Question

can you change or modify questions that have already been finalized during an evaluation? why or why not?

Answer 1

Greetings of the day!

Answer:

During a formative evaluation we can change or modify questions that have been planned / structured by the evaluator, whereas,  during a summative evaluation or outcome based evaluation, we cannot change or modify questions that have already been finalized .

Explanation:

Formative assessment

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:

• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:

• draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
• submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
• turn in a research proposal for early feedback
• Quizzes
• Games
• Projects
• Presentations
• Group activities
• viva

Summative assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Summative assessments are often high stakes, which means that they have a high point value. Examples of summative assessments include:

• a mid-term examination
• a final project
• a paper
• a senior recital
• Tests
• Final examination
• Reports
• Papers
• End-of-class projects

FURTHER INFORMATION:

There are several types of evaluations that can be conducted. Some of them include the following:

• Formative evaluation ensures that a program or program activity is feasible, appropriate, and acceptable before it is fully implemented. It is usually conducted when a new program or activity is being developed or when an existing one is being adapted or modified.

• Process/implementation evaluation determines whether program activities have been implemented as intended.

• Outcome/effectiveness evaluation measures program effects in the target population by assessing the progress in the outcomes or outcome objectives that the program is to achieve.

• Impact evaluation assesses program effectiveness in achieving its ultimate goals.

	Formative	Summative
Type of Evaluation	Proactive	Clarificative	Interactive	Monitoring	Outcome
When to use	Pre-project	Project development	Project implementation	Project implementation	Project implementation and post-project
Why use it?	To understand or clarify the need for the project	To make clear the theory of change that the project is based on	To improve the project’s design (continual improvement) as it is rolled out	To ensure that the project activities are being delivered efficiently and effectively	To assess whether the project has met its goals, whether there were any unintended consequences, what were the learnings, and how to improve

TYPES AND USES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVALUATION:

Evaluation Types	When to use	What it shows	Why it is useful
Formative Evaluation Evaluability Assessment Needs Assessment	• During the development of a new program. • When an existing program is being modified or is being used in a new setting or with a new population.	• Whether the proposed program elements are likely to be needed, understood, and accepted by the population you want to reach. • The extent to which an evaluation is possible, based on the goals and objectives.	• It allows for modifications to be made to the plan before full implementation begins. • Maximizes the likelihood that the program will succeed.
Process Evaluation Program Monitoring	• As soon as program implementation begins. • During operation of an existing program.	• How well the program is working. • The extent to which the program is being implemented as designed. • Whether the program is accessible an acceptable to its target population.	• Provides an early warning for any problems that may occur. • Allows programs to monitor how well their program plans and activities are working.
Outcome Evaluation Objectives-Based Evaluation	• After the program has made contact with at least one person or group in the target population.	• The degree to which the program is having an effect on the target population’s behaviors.	• Tells whether the program is being effective in meeting it’s objectives.
Economic Evaluation: Cost Analysis, Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost-Utility Analysis	• At the beginning of a program. • During the operation of an existing program.	• What resources are being used in a program and their costs (direct and indirect) compared to outcomes.	• Provides program managers and funders a way to assess cost relative to effects. “How much bang for your buck.”
Impact Evaluation	• During the operation of an existing program at appropriate intervals. • At the end of a program.	• The degree to which the program meets its ultimate goal e.g. on an overall rate of STD transmission (how much has program X decreased the morbidity of an STD beyond the study population).	• Provides evidence for use in policy and funding decisions.

Formative Evaluations are evaluations for learning. They are often ungraded and informal. Their aim is to provide both the students and instructor with a gauge of where their level of understanding is at the current moment, and enable the instructor to adjust accordingly to meet the emerging needs of the class.

Formative evaluations are particularly important because they allow you to make changes that affect the current students, while the end of term forms only affect future classes. In addition, formative evaluations signal your class that you are indeed interested in what and how they're learning, and in their responses to your teaching.