Your final grade is determined by performance on class assignments (specifically, the article critique, expert panel, class project), the quiz, and -- to a far lesser extent -- your class participation. I do, however, reserve the right to add or modify assignments as the class progresses. The following depicts the preliminary breakdown of work for the course and each assignment's contribution to your total grade:

Expert Panel

Each of you will be part of a two- or three-person team charged with making a 45-minute presentation to the group during the course of the semester. Among the topical choices are these:

• the competent evaluator -- focusing in particular on the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values s/he should possess.
• the competent evaluator -- focusing on whether or not such competencies can (or should) be "legislated" (via accreditation, licensing, and/or certification).
• the symbiotic relationship between and among the following ideas: data analysis, data triangulation, data interpretation; and data presentation.
• ethics (with a focus on issues particular to school, corporate, and government settings, as well as phases of a study).
• ways to engage stakeholders in all aspects of the evaluation process (planning, execution, analysis, and reporting)--and the consequences (both positive and negative) of doing so.

You'll have free reign over the presentation format/design/structure -- but other assignment guidelines (type of resources to use, deliverables, class "handouts") will be noted in class.

Each panel's grade/score comprises feedback gleaned from three different sources: my assessment, peer review, and your own reflective input (relative to team process and individual contribution).

15%
(75 pts)

Class Project

You'll be conducting a class project that involves data collection, analysis, and reporting. [Once the study is finalized, I'll add the details here!] The class project allows you to walk through the entire evaluation process -- from contextualizing the evaluation object to determining major issues to investigate ... from conducting a brief lit review (to inform how you'll proceed) to collecting and analyzing the data and inferring meaning from it.

This activity helps to connect theory and practice ... and provides first-hand experience with developing and "administering"/implementing several different tools -- for example, a rubric to assess documents or extant data of some kind, a brief survey, an interview guide, or an observation protocol.

Your grade/score comprises feedback gleaned from my assessment and your own reflective input (relative to team process and individual contribution).

25%
(125 pts)

Quiz

One web-delivered quiz will be administered about midway through the semester.

20%
(100 pts)

Literature Review

Although the class project is team-based, the lit review is an independently completed activity. Specific parameters of the assignment will be provided in class -- along with example papers.

In essence, you'll produce a structured white paper or technical report that generally conforms to APA guidelines.

15%
(75 pts)

Article Critique

Using a template (to be provided in class), you'll choose from one of three articles to critique (among our many ECR readings). The activity provides a chance for you to practice evidentiary procedures -- specifically, using details from the article to support your opinions, conjectures, and arguments..

15%
(75 pts)

Participation

Participation in class activities and project debriefings is critical to the learning experience in this course. This semester you'll be blogging and contributing to threaded, asynchronous chats. You'll also be asked to join an evaluation-oriented listserv.

10%
(50 pts)

Breakdown

(500 points possible):

467+ = A

450 to 466 = A-

433 to 449 = B+

417 to 432 = B

400 to 416 = B-

383 to 399 = C+