• EDRS 820: Evaluation Methods for Educational Programs and Curricula
• Semester: Fall 2006
• Professor: Dr. Gary Galluzzo
• Syllabus

• Assignment 1: Potential Evaluation Questions Brainstorming
• Assignment 2: Aims and Objectives for the Evaluation for the selected Program
• Assignment 3: Evaluation approach(es), data collection methods and analysis techniques, and interpretation strategies
• Assignment 4: Final Report: Evaluation of Integrated Islamic Education Program
• Final Report: Assessment by Rubric

• Fitzpatrick, J.; Sanders, J.; & Worthen, B. (2003). Program evaluation: Alternative
          approaches and practical guidelines. (3rd ed.). New York: Longman.

• Books:
  1. American Psychological Association. (2002). Publication manual of the
             American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC:
             Author.
  2. Eisner, E. (1998). The enlightened eye: Qualitative inquiry and the
             enhancement of educational practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
             Prentice-Hall.
  3. Guba, E. & Lincoln, Y. (1989). Fourth generation evaluation.
             Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  4. Posavec, E. & Carey, R. (2006). Program evaluation: Methods and case
             studies (6th ed.). New York: Pearson Prentice Hall.
  5. Scriven, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus (4th ed.). Thousand
             Oaks, CA: Sage.
  6. Stufflebeam, D.; Madaus, G.; & Kellaghan, T. (eds.). (2000). Evaluation
             models: Viewpoints on educational and human services evaluation
             (2nd ed.). Boston: Kluwer.
• Related Websites:
  1. www.eval.org: The website for the American Evaluation Association (AEA), the leading professional association for evaluators. See also www.eval.org/hstlinks.htm, AEA’s chronicle of statebased activities on high-stakes student testing.
  2. www.wmich.edu/evalctr: Western Michigan University’s Center for Evaluation, which is one of the premier sites for thought and practice in evaluation.
  3. pareonline.net: An electronic journal devoted to the field of education evaluation.
  4. oerl.sri.com is the Online Evaluation Resource Library, which catalogues countless plans, data collection instruments and evaluation reports.
  5. www.washeval.org is the regional association of evaluators. (Membership required).

         This was by far one of the most productive courses I have taken so far in my doctoral program. This is where theory, research, and practice came together. This course helped me achieve several goals: exposed me to the field of program/curriculum evaluation -- including but not limited to basic purpose/uses/conceptual distinctions, origins and current trends in modern program evaluation, alternative approaches to program evaluation, practical guidelines for planning evaluations, practical guidelines for conducting and using evaluations, emerging and future settings for program evaluation, and etc.; exposed me to various evaluation-related websites; practice evaluation planning and conducting approaches; practice conducting mixed-methods research involving surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, and etc; practice developing survey instruments, observation checklists, and interview guides; and helped me evaluate a real education program for my daughters' private school.

         Moreover, the final evaluation project, for which I evaluated the "Integrated Islamic Education Program" at an Islamic school, contributed towards my preparation for my final research agenda and achieve several goals: develop a clear understanding of Islamic schools -- including but not limited to their missions, academic programs, curriculum frameworks and approaches, Islamic identity development process, interact with educators, closely observe the school environment and policies, some of the day-to-day challenges, and etc.; helped me practice planning and conducting mixed-method research; practice instrument development -- survey instruments, observation checklists, and interview guides; practice various data analysis and reporting technigues; practice paying attention to some of the validity threats to evaluation conclusions; and interact with various stakeholders in order to dissiminate research findings for adoption -- transferring research to practice.

        [Click here] to see the list of competencies expecting to achieve in this course.