framework for the implementation of a virtual design studio model in ...

7.5 Summative Evaluation
It is understandable that a framework which is formulated to evaluate
integrate technology into education and evaluate the effectiveness
should be evaluated. It is important to estimate the effectiveness of
such a project. This chapter outlines the approach used to evaluate the
overall project. The chapter presents the findings and conclusions of
the evaluation. The chapter states the effectiveness of the
implementation process, the overall project and its intended outcomes.
This section examined the effects or outcomes of some object – they
summarise it by describing what happens subsequent to delivery of the
programme or technology, assessing whether the object can be said to
have caused the outcome; determining the overall impact of the causal
factor beyond only the immediate target outcomes, and estimating the
relative costs associated with the object. The summative evaluation in
this study can be subdivided into two branches: the outcome evaluation
and the impact evaluation. The outcome evaluation is defined as
investigative of whether the programme or technology caused
demonstrable effects on specifically defined target outcomes. The
strategy for evaluating this project had the following two goals: to report
on how well VDS 3 was implemented and received and to analyse the
extent to which the stated outcomes of VDS 3 were achieved. As a
result, in this study the outcome evaluation discussed the results or
effects of VDS 3 on improving the participating student‟s performance in
using technology and using the tools of collaboration and creativity tools;
while the impact evaluation is defined as broader and assesses the
overall or net effects – intended or unintended – of the programme or
technology. As a result, the impact evaluation in this study discusses
how VDS 3 affected the education process in the environment in which it
was implemented. The tools used in this were the lecturers‟ interviews,
observations, and the focus group analysis. In the summative
component of the evaluation, it was observed that the students
extended their use of the skills learnt in VDS 3 to other subject they
undertake at The University of Sharjah. Facebook accounts showed the
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