Book Summaries Chapters 12 and 13

Chapter 12 gave us an insight of how to evaluate instructional products. We must do formative evaluation for all phases of the instructional product: planning, design and development. We must set standards when we first start working on a project. The earlier we set standards the less time and money goes to waste correcting and editing the product. Standards define the quality for which the team wants to be known and reman the same for all projects.

This chapter also introduced the evaluation form that brings everyone on the team on the same page. The evaluation form lists the items of the project. Then each item is listed under acceptable, needs work and have a comments area. Example of items are, the interface, pedagoy, robustness, and navigation. Under each item there are more specific subitems to be evaluated like under interface we need to pay attention to the quality of display, presentation, text quality, animation and graphics, audio, and video. For pedagogy subitems include interactivity, coopearitve learning, learning strategies and questions and answers.

We must assess all these items and subitems according to the conext and standards we have set. The purpose of the evaluation form is to keep the team on track throughout the design and development process.

The first part of chapter 13 discusses the planning phase which is the first phase of the project. In the planning phase we define the scope of the content of the project, develop evaluation form, identify characteristics of learners and users, understand the client and stakeholders, establish constraints, create costing guide, create a planning document, produce a style manual, determine and collect resources, conduct brainstorming, define the look and feel, and finally obtain client sign-off before starting on any development of the project.

In the planning phase we also conduct a prototype of the project will look like so that the client and stakeholders get a good idea of what to expect. Usually prototypes are done on paper without any special features that will be later added on to the project.

Just as good evaluation saves costs and time, good planning saves on redoing things and will increase the likelihood of a successful project.