Reflection on “Flexner, Accreditation, and Evaluation”

I want to start off by mentioning that evaluations are a little different than research in that they are client driven and often begin with a different frame of reference.  Also, often times, I have heard that evaluations are a study in common sense.

Hang on to these two thoughts as we will revisit them in a little bit.  Additionally, Flexner (1910) mentions common sense as a valid method.  Floden (1980) discusses accreditation as evaluations of a school; where schools refers to “departments, programs or colleges” (p. 35), and other educational institutes.

One of the first concepts to hit me while reading through this article is the idea of weighing internal and external evaluators’ strengths.  Floden mentions the importance of member checking, that there is incredible value at leveraging different perspectives during an educational evaluation. However, Floden brings up a critical question of who guides the evaluation process? Is it the clients? The major stakeholders? All of the participants? Floden (1980) questions the impact of certain groups and asks, “which groups will control the process” (p. 36).

In order to adopt this concept of evaluations in educational context, focused by differing parties we can adopt Flexner’s procedures and educational approaches.  Flexner (1910) has three guiding questions for educational programs, projects, and/or interventions.  The first question is centered around: 1) how should evaluation procedures be determined? Who should be in charge of directing procedures? Is it the evaluators (often experienced in such processes) that should be guiding the evaluation? Or is it the clients (often paying the bill) that should take the lead in the evaluation process? In the end, there needs to be some communication between client, stakeholders and evaluators to come to an agreement on procedures.

The next main question is centered around: 2) who should participate in the evaluation process?  While there is a need to communicate with key stakeholders and include ‘everyone’ in the process, there should be a priority placed on which parties can give the most valuable information (considering resources, as well).  In fact, Flexner (2010) as cited by Floden (1980) mentions that “insider knowledge” is required (p. 39) for successful educational evaluations.  This goes back to the idea of using internal and external evaluators for a well rounded evaluation. The final question adopted from Flexner is the idea of final recommendations and effects: 3) What are the effects of the evaluation?  This includes both the positive and negative impacts of an evaluation.

References:

Flexner, A. (1910). Medical education in the United States and Canada: a report to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (No. 4). Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Folden, R. E. (1980). Flexner, accreditation, and evaluation.  Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2(2), 36-46. Retrieved from  http://www.jstor.org/stable/1163932

Evaluation – The song that never ends

This theme of evaluation seems to keep coming up, over and over again much like a song whose words are at the tip of your tongue but you just can’t seem to get them out. This week was I actually evaluated…it wasn’t a self-reflection of what I could have changed but an external review that involves a camera recording my entire class, a formal sit down, and report. Despite that external pressure I didn’t feel the need to over prepare or fluff up my class with cool new tricks. In fact, even thought I was being recorded I found myself just teaching and the evaluation stuff faded away. At that moment I was focused on delivering content in the best way I could, I wasn’t thinking about what I could have changed from last week or five minutes past.

So 24 hours post instruction, it still hasn’t hit me, the whole you are being evaluated thing. I think that be because I know everyone out there is going to have their two cents about teaching and what is the best way to do ‘this’ or ‘that.’ At the end of the day I am my own worse critic and I think more than getting that report or told how I preformed, I want a copy of me teaching so that I can analyze what I did and what I can do to make it better.