So far in this program, I’ve been pleasantly surprised because much of what we’ve learned, I have already been doing. It is nice to have that confirmation of my skills. But I do believe that my current course, LDT 506: Evaluation of Learning Systems will be a challenge for me. And I welcome it!
When I first took the self-assessment, I rated myself pretty low on the scale of knowledge about evaluations. The assessment is based on a scale from one to six, with one being a total novice and six being an expert. And my total scores led me to number 2- Novice. However, throughout the readings this week, I have come to realize I may have a little more knowledge on assessments than I thought. However, I like to start with the assumption that I do not know much and be surprised at how much I do know, rather than represent myself as being super proficient and finding out the hard way that I am not. So, we’ll see where this class takes us! Below are more details on my self-assessment.
Based on the results of your self-assessment, on a scale from 1 to 6, with 6 being expert, where would you place yourself as an evaluator at this time?
2- Novice
What conclusions have you drawn from your self-assessment, where are you weak and where are your strengths?
I believe that my strength is in using the data ethically and for social justice, that I always intend to respect cultural differences and demonstrate respect and integrity. I also think I am good at judging the need for evaluation. However, in my experience, just because the experts recognize the need for evaluation, it does not mean that leadership will go along with the recommendation.
As for weaknesses, I say that it is definitively the synthesizing and interpreting of the data. I know with one survey at work that we send every month and have for years, our data set is in the thousands, and it is overwhelming to try and make sense of all the stories it tells.
Which of the competencies on the
self-assessment surprised you as being necessary, and why did they surprise
you?
I was not expecting the statement that said, “I advocate for the
field of evaluation and its value.” I understand advocating to do evaluations
within a job or assignment, but I never thought about needing to advocate for
the field of evaluation. And I am looking forward to learning more about what
is meant by this question and why advocacy is needed within this field.
I am also intrigued by the statement, “I can respond
respectfully to the uniqueness of the evaluation context.” I marked myself high
on that statement because I feel I always aim for respect, no matter what I am doing.
But I am curious about what is meant by the “uniqueness of the evaluation content.”
Based on the results of your self-assessment,
what actions might you take beyond this class to gain more competence as an
evaluator?
I would like to begin by becoming more adept with Excel. I can
use it and even some algorithms within it, but I’ve learned mostly by teaching
myself and Googling a lot. But I see how robust the reports of some of my colleagues
are and I am wowed by them. So, that is my first step. Secondly, I think after
I’ve graduated, I will look into taking the Google Data Analytics certification
course. My husband took this, and he showed impressive improvements to his understanding
and execution of synthesizing data.
Overall, as much as this class could be intimidating for those of
us who don’t love working with data, I am actually looking forward to it. These
skills will be important to my future work, and I am ready to move beyond the “Google
and hope it works” stage of data management.
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