Testing, Evaluation, and Assessment

Evaluation of design needs to be intentional and well-planned. This was realized mid-design process for the Know Before You Throw project. We went into testing our second iteration without a clear idea of what questions we were looking to answer, and what data we wanted to collect. By the time we got to our third iteration, we planned a better one for this. Going through the process of synthesizing our data and observations really highlighted how important it was to explicitly plan what kind of data is being collected and why.

The process of testing should be focused. You don't have to test the entire design each time. Testing the bits and pieces of the design that I was the most unsure of was my path forward during my Digital Museum Tour Guides project. This also helped me to find testing fruitful when things didn't go according to plan. Knowing what part of the design was important for me to get feedback on allowed me to modify my testing when needed but still get the information I was looking for.

Developing assessments involves a design process (and a LOT of work). Prior to taking the Assessment and Evaluation course, I had not realized the amount of work that goes into developing a quality assessment. My prior experiences with assessment development have been in the context of a classroom, and in that setting, there is not as much opportunity for testing and iteration. My experience in the Assessment and Evaluation course allowed me to take part in the assessment development process, including the design and redesign of assessment items. Having an understanding of the assessment and evaluation process will allow me to design learning experiences that can be more easily evaluated.