July 27, 2006

VetMed Technical Meeting

Evaluations - sakai.evaluation

Phil demoed CERE's Eval tool - authoring function
Authoring functionality allows the appropriate users the ability to view and edit templates for evaluating courses and instructors.

Templates meet the design as specified in Chris's Executive Summary
The tool pulls school/department information from sakai site service and allows for template start terms (term - currently generated algorithmically.) Tracks creation date, last edit date, and last edit by fields.

Design is specific to VetMed needs as department-level templates common across schools.

Eligable evaluatees will be pulled in from sakai.
Individual templates display course level items/questions
Displays both instructors to be evaluated and instructor-level items. Based on need to evaluate course and instructor in same template - but gathering data for different purposes, i.e., need the ability to easily separate course and instructor information.
Use cases based on current system and VM needs
Includes short answer and 5-pt scale type items and each type. Includes detailed, brief and instructor-specific question level.
Select one or more instructors to tie to each question.
Eval list will show percent complete, save or submit, will show eval status in pod. Note: pod is current description for what students will see in CERE when 1 or more evals become available to them.

Includes preview - as specified in wire frames detailed by Chris - see online docs http://confluence.ucdavis.edu:8080/confluence/x/Li

Next steps: Will next work on bringing instructors in, taking an evaluation

Further Discussions of Eval tool implementation
Discussion of evaluation location: possibly a pod in MyWorkspace
List of evaluations within pod - maybe link goes directly to eval tool? Goes to another location? course site - specific eval for that site? Or possibly a pod that expands when a link is selected? Use lookup widget - tool summoner? Tool to display eval pod using redirect tool?

Beau: Visualized as an eval tool with redirect from the course site which moves user to eval in his/her own workspace, i.e., Eval menu item in course is simply a redirect tool, a url redirect passes course info back to uder's myWorkspace. Or flip the model.

Chris: Another Use Case - Student as evaluator and evaluated, but not in TA role specifically? If student has instructor-esque role may evaluate and/or see status of evaluations?

Specifications: Show results of evaluation once a reasonable number of results are in (reasonable number TBD); purpose is to help new faculty to adjust teaching style; will be 1.5 feature (after code to display results done.) Flex version pretty cool.

Round the table

Keith - Erin and academic dept. (Judy) using Ilios current users. Courses in draft mode initially, will go to publish mode. CALF & Ilios info all on single page now (admin support)

Chris - Scheduling: tool needs to be opened in FireFox as IE opens excel plugin w/minimal control

Dave - Training: fully booked, 16 more sessions on Friday. Deciding about advanced training course tools - web content, assignment (graded only), announcements, wiki, gradebook, webdav.

Beau - Melete (there but not recommended) - if particular faculty have a need, use as pilots for testing out tool functionality; add upon request - do we train?
Biggest issue - non-exportable tool, ie, cannot move to new term; current rev (2.1.x) untested

Rick - Quiz & Test tool in same category, it's there, but not fully tested;

Demo Melete, Quiz, Gradebook, and Message Center request pilot users; would be on a different machine; need to find model that allows redirection to pilot server; core course location? Key is will tool affect production performance?

Differentiate between functional, user-based and performace testing
How does this affect evaluation pilot (5 courses only for fall)?

Discussion decisions for tool availability noted http://confluence.ucdavis.edu:8080/confluence/x/3Dc

Rick - brief discussion of CREST; keyword terms for CERE