Evaluator Education Curriculum: Which Competencies Ought to Be Prioritized in Master’s and Doctoral Programs?

Abstract

A budding area of research is devoted to studying evaluator curriculum, yet to date, it has focused exclusively on describing the content and emphasis of topics or competencies in university-based programs. This study aims to expand the foci of research efforts and investigates the extent to which evaluators agree on what competencies should guide the development and implementation of evaluator education. This study used the Delphi method with evaluators ( n = 11) and included three rounds of online surveys and follow-up interviews between rounds. This article discusses on which competencies evaluators were able to reach consensus. Where consensus was not found, possible reasons are offered. Where consensus was found, the necessity of each competency at both the master’s and doctoral levels is described. Findings are situated in ongoing debates about what is unique about what novice evaluators need to know and be able to do and the purpose of evaluator education.

Navigating the boundaries between evaluators and similar applied professionals

“…Taken as a whole, this study contributes to the growing literature on evaluator identity and professionalization, including boundaries (Castro et al, 2016;Liu, 2018;Montrosse-Moorhead et al, 2017). Evaluation's boundaries are permeable (Jacob and Boisvert, 2010;Worthen, 1999).…”

“…, making communicating about evaluation within and outside our profession difficult (Levin-Rozalis and Shochot-Reich, 2008;Mason and Hunt, 2019;Montrosse-Moorhead et al, 2017). It also complicates differentiating ourselves from competing professions (Jacob and Boisvert, 2010;Picciotto, 2011), to the point that "more often than not [evaluators] bear another professional designation (economist, sociologist, psychologist, teacher, adviser, consultant, etc.)" (Picciotto, 2011: 171).…”

Reform of the Evaluation Index System of Civics Teaching in Higher Vocational Colleges and Universities Curriculum Oriented to the Demands of Vocational Positions in the Context of Deep Learning

“…In June 2020, the Ministry of Education issued a Guideline for the Construction of Ideological and Political Construction of the Curriculum of Higher Educational Institutions, which clearly pointed out that the effectiveness of talent cultivation depends on the scientific nature of the evaluation standard of curriculum ideology and politics [3]. It can be seen that it is extremely important to develop and improve the evaluation and assessment system, of course, civics and politics, which is related to the effect of talent cultivation in higher vocational colleges and universities [4].…”