A good deal of planning and preparation probably went into setting up and conducting your videoconference. Don't lose an opportunity to make the next one better! When the videoconference is over, take formal steps to evaluate what could be done to improve the next one. Consider taping the session and viewing it later. Jot down notes during and after the session. Get feedback from participants. Not only are there technical issues that might benefit from an evaluation; but the instructional or content presentation aspects might also be improved. The ideas below are a good starting point:
A Few Good Questions . . . Evaluation is a very important step for effective videoconferencing and one that is so easy to overlook! If no evaluation is done, the technology and instruction might not be adapted to better meet the needs of the learners. Here are some questions to ask yourself, the learners, and support staff. These questions can be adapted for any kind of videoconferencing event whether a meeting, an interview, or other usage. However, in instructional settings, getting answers to these questions will definitely lead to improvement.
What were the intended outcomes of the lesson? Were they achieved?
Were expectations clear prior to the lesson?
Was the lesson technically effective?
What did you like/dislike about using the technology?
What would have improved the lesson?
What should be done differently next time?
How did the experience compare to a more typical classroom experience (pros/cons)?
Instructor Evaluation Form
In 1995, we worked with Dr. Victoria
Bernhardt, Director of Education for the Future, to devise evaluation forms to be used by our Education First demonstration sites and by our staff as we experimented with videoconferencing. The forms have been modified slightly since then. This form is available in MS Word document format. If you'd like to download and customize
it (for example, the original form provided an opportunity to add comments after each question) or print it, please feel free to do so. It looks something like this:
Instructor(s):
Date of videoconference:
Title of videoconference:
Length of videoconference:
Number of viewers:
Number of sites:
What were the intended outcomes of the videoconference and
how well were they achieved? (please attach description if necessary)
Circle the number that represents your feelings about these questions
Not at all Effective
Very Effective
How effective was the content of the videoconference? (how well was the content delivered)
1
2
3
4
5
How well did the content of the videoconference connect to your curriculum?
1
2
3
4
5
How effective was the videoconference technically, e.g., clear picture, clear sound? (how well the technology worked)
Viewer Evaluation Form Dr. Bernhardt also helped develop this form to be used with videoconferencing participants and remote learners. This form is available in MS Word document format. If you'd like to download and customize
it (for example, the original form provided an opportunity to add comments after each question) or print it, please feel free to do so. It looks something like this:
Instructor(s):
Date of videoconference:
Title of videoconference:
Length of videoconference:
Briefly describe the videoconference
Circle the number that represents your feelings about these questions
Not at all Clear
Very Clear
How clear were your expectations before the videoconference began?
1
2
3
4
5
How clear were expectations for participation after the videoconference began?
1
2
3
4
5
Circle the number that represents your feelings about these questions
Not at all Effective
Very Effective
How effective was the content of the videoconference? (how well content was delivered)
1
2
3
4
5
How effective was the videoconference technically e.g., clear picture, clear sound? (how well the technology worked)
1
2
3
4
5
Circle the number that represents your feelings about these questions
No Opportunity
Many opportunities
Did your site have opportunities to interact with the person or people at the other site(s)?
1
2
3
4
5
What were you hoping to get out of the teleconference, and did you get it?
What did you like about using this technology?
What were the benefits of using this technology?
What did you not like about using this technology?
What suggestions do you have for the presenter(s) to make the videoconference better?
How did learning new information in this fashion compare to in-person, in-class presentations?
Final Thoughts It is important to gather and process the information from the evaluation and synthesize it for distribution.
Once this is done, you can distribute the evaluation report to interested parties such as other teachers, staff development planners, instructional designers, technical support staff, and administrators. It's a good idea to meet with these folks, and especially with technical support personnel, to debrief after the evaluation information is distributed so you can address the issues identified in evaluation and plan how you might incorporate solutions into future videoconferences. So many schools, libraries, and other institutions are videoconferencing -- and are taking the time to evaluate! Here are some of their forms, ideas, and other useful materials:
Missions Conference Evaluation Form could easily be adapted to evaluate a content provider
A nice set of forms from Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach
If you have any ideas for improving our evaluation forms, or would like to refer us to new web sites devoted to instructional videoconferencing and evaluation, please use our KNE Feedback Form to inform us.
First posted 1995.
Last modified
Thursday December 04, 2008
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First posted 1995.
Last modified
Thursday December 04, 2008
