Evaluation

Evaluation is a recurrent part of both the action research cycle and the integrative learning design framework which will guide the project development. Evaluation activities will be designed for local impact which will involve an iterative process of formative evaluation and ongoing refinement of resources and pedagogical approaches. The phase of evaluation for broader impact extends the traditional dissemination or diffusion phase of projects to becoming a process that relates to adoption and adaptation across the wider HE community.

Students, teacher educators on campus and also teachers at VFU-schools are seen as important participants and informants. Since the projects at each partner institution have somewhat different approaches, there will be particular issues for each partner to be added to the shared questions described above and the evaluation methods will therefore differ.

One of the aims for this project is however to share experiences and lessons learned from the different project approaches at the three partner institutions. A qualitative approach to evaluation is needed through which participants can provide the information necessary in order to get a picture of the extent to which the common expected outcomes have been met.

The key questions will provide the central foci for the process of evaluation. These focus in turn on the changes in the students' learning and development towards the national goals in the “Examensordningen”, the extent of the integration and collaboration between teacher education and schools regarding VFU and the changes in the roles and competences of students, teachers and teacher educators. The iterative nature of the development is founded on a process which involves continuous evaluation for improvement. Each stage of the project will be evaluated and the outcomes will inform the further development of the project. Evaluation will take place through the use of questionnaires and focus group evaluation with students. Stakeholders from the communities in which the students engage will also be involved in the evaluation.

This project in Umeå will be the subject of a research study carried out by a doctoral student, Carina Granberg. In her prior work she during the academic year 2006/2007 she studied the implementation process of ICT and pedagogical documentation in teacher education by observing the IUP-project at Umeå University. A paper based on the IUP-project was be presented at the ECER 2008 conference in Ghent, Belgium, September 2007 (Granberg, 2007) and another on this project at the ECER 2009 conference in Gothenburg, September 2008 (Granberg, 2008).

Contributions were also made at the NU2008 Conference in Kalmar during May 2008 and a final dissemination conference will take place at Karlstads University in Februay 2009.

References

Granberg, C. (2007) Pedagogical attributes and ICT affordances - Implementing Digital Individual Development Planning in Teacher Education. Paper to ECER 2007 - European Conference of Educational Research, Universityof Ghent, September 2007.

Granberg. C (2008) Educational blogs in teacher education – Blending face-to-face and virtual learning activities. Tidskrift för lärarutbildning och forskning / Journal for Teacher Education and research. 2008 15(3-4) p. 57-72. http://www.educ.umu.se/presentation/publikationer/lof/lofu_nr3-4_2008.pdf

Granberg, C. (2008) Social software for reflective dialogue – is there any trace of reflection and dialogue in the students’ blogs? Paper to ECER 2008 - European Conference of Educational Research, Universityof Gothenburg, September 2008.