Formative evaluation results for Phases I and II, which include the design, development and testing of the will offer the project team an opportunity to GEOpod, determine those project elements that are working successfully and those elements that need to be altered to achieve greater success, especially the instructional design, functionality, and technical accuracy of the system. Evaluation questions GEOpod addressed during Phase I are the following: To what extent was the project carried out in Phase I as originally designed? What progress has been made in Phase I in the development of the GEOpod platform? What tests of functionality, technical soundness, and user interactivity were conducted on the GEOpod and with what results? What student assessments were developed and tested during Phase I and with what results? To what degree were faculty trained in the use of the GEOpod platform in their courses? To what degree are the project and the GEOpod itself ready for implementation in Phase II which will launch in the spring term of 2011? The summative evaluation, which will be conducted during Phase III, consists of implementation and assessment activities. It is designed to provide evidence of student learning outcomes as a result of using the GEOpod technology in the classroom, the value and usefulness of the GEOpod modules in instruction, the extent to which this kind of technology can be sustained in instruction at Millersville University, and the degree to which it can be adopted and used at other universities. The specific research questions guiding the Phase II evaluation include: To what extent were the GEOpod modules used and valued by instructors as a teaching tool at the university level?
Formative evaluation results for Phases I and II, which include the design, development and testing of the GEOpod, will offer the project team an opportunity to determine those project elements that are working successfully and those elements that need to be altered to achieve greater success, especially the instructional design, functionality, and technical accuracy of the GEOpod system. Evaluation questions addressed during Phase I are the following: To what extent was the project carried out in Phase I as originally designed? What progress has been made in Phase I in the development of the GEOpod platform? What tests of functionality, technical soundness, and user interactivity were conducted on the GEOpod and with what results? What student assessments were developed and tested during Phase I and with what results? To what degree were faculty trained in the use of the GEOpod platform in their courses? To what degree are the project and the GEOpod itself ready for implementation in Phase II which will launch in the spring term of 2011? The summative evaluation, which will be conducted during Phase III, consists of implementation and assessment activities. It is designed to provide evidence of student learning outcomes as a result of using the GEOpod technology in the classroom, the value and usefulness of the GEOpod modules in instruction, the extent to which this kind of technology can be sustained in instruction at Millersville University, and the degree to which it can be adopted and used at other universities. The specific research questions guiding the Phase II evaluation include: To what extent were the GEOpod modules used and valued by instructors as a teaching tool at the university level?