Readings
This area lists academic readings that may be useful explore – while they look at evaluation from different angles, they have been selected as they are generally applicable to the level of day to day teaching, supporting teaching and learning development.
A literature review encompassing many of the titles below and setting the scene for evaluation and student voice (written by Frania Hall) can be found at this link.
Sections
Topic headings link you to the relevant section on the page:
I. General Evaluation
II. Theories of Evaluation and Evolution
III. Evaluation in Context
IV. Cultures of Evaluation, Evaluative Thinking and Organisational Learning
V. Theory-Based Evaluation
VI. Theory of Change
VII. Evaluation for Teaching Development and CPD
VIII. Reflective Practice for Evaluation
IX. Methods and Frameworks
X. Student voice, student-centred learning and partnership
The Reading List
General evaluation — Approaches
A USEFUL INTRODUCTORY BOOK: Parsons, D., 2017. Demystifying evaluation: Practical approaches for researchers and users, 1st ed. Bristol University Press.
Theory of Evaluation — Including Evolution
Alkin, M., 2004. Evaluation Roots. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412984157
Chen, H., 1994. Theory-Driven Evaluations. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/theory-driven-evaluations/book2947
Donaldson, S.I., Lipsey, M.W., 2006. The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation. SAGE Publications Ltd. ok-of-evaluation/book217583
Pawson, R., Tilley, N., 1997. Realistic Evaluation | SAGE Publications Ltd. SAGE Publications, London https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/realistic-evaluation/book205276
Scriven, M., 1991., Evaluation thesaurus, 4th ed. Sage Publications, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, US. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/evaluation-thesaurus/book3562
Evaluation in Context
Nygaard, C., Belluigi, D.Z., 2011. A proposed methodology for contextualised evaluation in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 36, 657–671. https://www-tandfonline-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/02602931003650037
Picciotto, R., 2013. Evaluation Independence in Organisations. Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation 9, 18. https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/download/373/368/0
Evaluative cultures, evaluative thinking and organisational learning
Earl, L., Timperley, H., 2015b. Evaluative thinking for successful educational innovation (OECD Education Working Papers No. 122), OECD Education Working Papers. https://doi.org/10.1787/5jrxtk1jtdwf-en
Scott, C., 2016. Cultures of evaluation: tales from the end of the line. Journal of Development Effectiveness 8, 553–560. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19439342.2016.1244701 – this is not about education but it is an interesting read about organisational learning
Stewart, J., 2014. Developing a culture of evaluation and research. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30673387.pdf This report also is not about HE but does explore the links between evaluation, research, evidence and organisational decision-making.
Torres, R.T., Preskill, H., 2001. Evaluation and Organizational Learning: Past, Present, and Future. American Journal of Evaluation 22, 387–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/109821400102200316
Vengrin, C., Westfall-Rudd, D., Archibald, T., Rudd, R., Singh, K., 2018a. Factors affecting evaluation culture within a non-formal educational organization. Evaluation and Program Planning 69, 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.04.012
Theory-based evaluation and quality issues
Beerkens, M., 2018. Evidence-based policy and higher education quality assurance: progress, pitfalls and promise. European Journal of Higher Education 8, 272 287. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21568235.2018.1475248
Bollaert, L. (Ed.), 2007. Embedding quality culture in higher education: a selection of papers from the 1st European Forum for Quality Assurance 23 – 25 November 2006, hosted by the Technische Universität München, Germany, EUA case studies. Presented at the European Forum for Quality Assurance, EUA, European University Association, Brussels.
Intrac, 2017. Theory-Based Evaluation. https://www.intrac.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Theory-based-evaluation.pdf – a useful report that summarises what theory-based evaluation is and why it might be used (not specifically for HE)
Leiber, T., Stensaker, B., Harvey, L., 2015. Impact evaluation of quality assurance in higher education: methodology and causal designs. Quality in Higher Education 21, 288–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2015.1111007 – includes an exploration of the nature of mixed methods research in relation to evaluation
Theory of Change
A couple of articles that explore theories of change approaches – there is more info on this under tools tab.
Davies, R., 2018. Representing theories of change: technical challenges with evaluation consequences. Journal of Development Effectiveness 10, 438–461. https://doi.org/10.1080/19439342.2018.1526202
Dhillon, L., Vaca, S., 2018. Refining Theories of Change. Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation 14, 64–87. https://doi.org/10.56645/jmde.v14i30.496
Teaching development and evaluations of CPD
Chalmers, D., Gardiner, D., 2015. An evaluation framework for identifying the effectiveness and impact of academic teacher development programmes. Studies in Educational Evaluation, Evaluating Faculty Development 46, 81–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.02.002
Fernández Ruiz, J., Panadero, E., 2023. Assessment professional development courses for university teachers: a nationwide analysis exploring length, evaluation and content. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 48, 485–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2022.2099811
Guskey, T.R., 1999. Evaluating Professional Development. Corwin Press.
Guskey, T.R., 2014. Planning Professional Working. Educational Leadership 71, 10–16.
Guskey, T.R., 2016. Guage Impact with 5 Levels of Data. JSD Learningforward.org 37, 32–37.
Kirkpatrick, D., Kirkpatrick, J., 2006. Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels, 3rd ed. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco.
Spowart, L., Winter, J., Turner, R., Muneer, R., McKenna, C., Kneale, P., 2017. Evidencing the impact of teaching-related CPD: beyond the ‘Happy Sheets.’ International Journal for Academic Development 22, 360–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2017.1340294
Trigwell, K., Caballero Rodriguez, K., Han, F., 2012. Assessing the impact of a university teaching development programme. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 37, 499–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2010.547929
Winter, J., Turner, R., Spowart, L., Muneer, R., Kneale, P., 2017. Evaluating academic development in the higher education sector: academic developers’ reflections on using a toolkit resource. Higher Education Research & Development 36, 1503–1514. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1325351
Reflective practice for evaluation in teaching development
Belvis, E., Pineda, P., Armengol, C., Moreno, V., 2013. Evaluation of reflective practice in teacher education. European Journal of Teacher Education 36, 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2012.718758
McCabe, G., Thejll-Madsen, T., 2018 Reflection Toolkit: creating and valuing reflection as evidence beyond numbers. https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/ethemes/conference/reflection-toolkit-creating-and-valuing-reflection-as.pdf
Research methods and frameworks
Methods and frameworks that could be applied to teaching and learning evaluations.
Braun, V., Clarke, V., 2021. Thematic Analysis: A practical Guide. Sage, London. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/thematic-analysis/book248481
Pickering, N., 2021. Enabling equality of access in higher education for underrepresented groups: a realist ‘small step’ approach to evaluating widening participation. Research in Post-Compulsory Education 26, 111–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2021.1873410
Seale, J., 2016. How can we confidently judge the extent to which student voice in higher education has been genuinely amplified? A proposal for a new evaluation framework. Research Papers in Education 31, 212–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2015.1027726
Stern, E., 2004. Philosophies and types of evaluation research. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Cedefop Reference series.
Student voice, student-centred learning and partnership
Blair, A., McGinty, S., 2013. Feedback-dialogues: exploring the student perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 38, 466–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2011.649244
Bovill, C., 2020. Co-creation in learning and teaching: the case for a whole-class approach in higher education. High Educ 79, 1023–1037. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00453-w
Brooman, S., Darwent, S., Pimor, A., 2015. The student voice in higher education curriculum design: is there value in listening? Innovations in Education and Teaching International 52, 663–674. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2014.910128
Bryson, C., 2016. Engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. International Journal for Academic Development 21, 84–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2016.1124966
Bovill, C., Bulley, C.J., 2011. A model of active student participation in curriculum design: Exploring desirability and possibility, in: Improving Student Learning (18) Global Theories and Local Practices: Institutional, Disciplinary and Cultural Variations. The Oxford Centre for Staff and Educational Development, pp. 176–188.
Bovill, C., Cook-Sather, A., Felten, P., Millard, L., Moore-Cherry, N., 2016. Addressing potential challenges in co-creating learning and teaching: overcoming resistance, navigating institutional norms and ensuring inclusivity in student–staff partnerships. High Educ 71, 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9896-4
Bovill, C., Woolmer, C., 2019b. How conceptualisations of curriculum in higher education influence student-staff co-creation in and of the curriculum. High Educ 78, 407–422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0349-8
Canning, J., 2017. Conceptualising student voice in UK higher education: four theoretical lenses. Teaching in Higher Education 22, 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1273207
Cook-Sather, A., 2006. Sound, Presence, and Power: “Student Voice” in Educational Research and Reform. Curriculum Inquiry 36, 359–390. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-873X.2006.00363.x
Cook-Sather, A., Bahti, M., and Ntem, A.. 2019. Pedagogical Partnerships: A How-To Guide for Faculty, Students, and Academic Developers in Higher Education. Elon, NC: Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa1.
Cook-Sather, A., Matthews, K.E., Ntem, A., Leathwick, S., 2018. What we talk about when we talk about Students as Partners. International Journal for Students as Partners 2, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v2i2.3790
Cook-Sather, A., 2020. Respecting voices: how the co-creation of teaching and learning can support academic staff, underrepresented students, and equitable practices. High Educ 79, 885–901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00445
Deeley, S., Brown, R., 2016. Learning Through Partnership in Assessment. Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education 1. https://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1107&context=tlthe
Henkel, M., 1997. Teaching Quality Assessments: Public Accountability and Academic Autonomy in Higher Education. Evaluation 3, 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/135638909700300102
Robinson, C., Taylor, C., 2013. Student voice as a contested practice: Power and participation in two student voice projects. Improving Schools 16, 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480212469713
Sabri, D., 2013. Student Evaluations of Teaching as ‘Fact-Totems’: The Case of the UK National Student Survey. Sociological Research Online 18, 148–157. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.3136
Seale, J., 2009. Doing student voice work in higher education: an exploration of the value of participatory methods. British Educational Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920903342038
Sun, S. (Alice), Gao, X. (Andy), Rahmani, B.D., Bose, P., Davison, C., 2022. Student voice in assessment and feedback (2011–2022): a systematic review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 0, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2022.2156478
Taylor, C., Robinson, C., 2009. Student voice: theorising power and participation. Pedagogy, Culture & Society 17, 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360902934392
Tucker, B.M., 2013. Student evaluation to improve the student learning experience: an Australian university case study. Educational Research and Evaluation. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13803611.2013.834615
Young, H., Jerome, L., 2020a. Student voice in higher education: Opening the loop. British Educational Research Journal 46, 688–705. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3603