This is the last of a four-part series on planning, building, presenting and evaluating a staff
development program for technology.

Now that you have planned, built and presented your staff development program for
technology, it is time to think about evaluating it to identify its effectiveness. This process
is more than distributing an evaluation form at the end of each workshop. It is a multi-
faceted process involving:

* the effectiveness of each workshop,
* the effectiveness of the staff development program as a whole,
* changes in the staff's skills
* changes in the classroom teaching practice and
* improvements in the students' skills.

Staff development evaluation really doesn't come at the end. It is something that should be
planned from the beginning and carried on throughout the program. Some of the results
are collected and analyzed as the program progresses through the year. This type of
evaluation is called "formative" evaluation because it allows the coordinators to receive
feedback in the midst of the program and enables them to make changes during the process
to improve the instruction. Another type of evaluation is called "summative" because it is
done at the end of a staff development component and indicates the final effect of the
process. Evaluating your staff development program for technology involves both of these
forms of evaluation.

The Effectiveness of Each Workshop
This is often the only level where staff development is evaluated. Upon completion of a
single workshop or sequence of workshops, an evaluation form is distributed to the
attendees. This information is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructor, the
workshop format, the activities/materials used, the applicability of the information covered,
the adequacy of the time spent on the subject, and as an instrument for receiving additional
input. (See figure 1)

This evaluation of a single learning experience (or set of learning experiences) should not
be limited to workshops. My last article suggested various alternative forms of instruction
including videotape, audiotape, computer-based instruction and even paper-based modules.
While the evaluation form in Figure 1 may contain questions that do not pertain to
completing a paper-based module, each lesson should be accompanied by some sort of
evaluation instrument. Computer-asssisted instruction could even be written to contain a
summative evaluation instrument as part of the program.

The Effectiveness of the Staff Development Program as a Whole
The information for this evaluation comes from a variety of sources. It begins with looking
at the attendance sheets. How many attendees are at each workshop? Which workshops
have the greatest appeal? Who is attending from which schools/departments? Are there
groups of people who are highly motivated to learn specific topics? Is there a large group
of faculty members who are taking an email class because their school is installing a