Evaluation : It's Role in Planning Educational Programs : A Personal Reflection

The purpose of this paper is to show how evaluation is an integral part of teaching and learning. The paper begins with a reflection of my personal journey of discovering the value of evaluation in learning and teaching and its role in curriculum and program planning. This reflection is set against a backdrop of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy that reminds us that evaluation is one of six important dimensions of learning.

Two case studies of recent evaluation consultancies undertaken in Australia are then presented to illustrate how developmental evaluation approaches can be used to refine education policy at the macro level, and to assist teachers to make informed decisions about planning and implementing educational programs at the micro level.

The paper concludes that evaluation is, therefore, a necessary competency for all practising educators to possess, and is integral to the work of schools as they closely reflect on the evidence of what they do to enhance the learning outcomes of their students. As such, it is an essential component of teacher education programs.