Selecting available materials and testing newly produced ones will require their evaluation against a set of criteria related to content, usefulness and overall quality. Evaluation is needed to determine the suitability of specific materials in the context of a given training event. For newly produced materials, evaluation aims at providing feedback to producers and users alike and needs to focus on possible areas for improvement rather than rejection or acceptance.
Evaluation can be done using existing evaluation tools that have been developed for various types of materials. Most of these will need to be adapted in one way or another to reflect the characteristics of a specific material. Pending the type of material considered, such tools need to evaluate the following aspects:
Author(s). Are the authors competent subject matter specialists? What is their background and experience? What is their publication record on the subject?
Target audience. What audience is being targeted for a specific material? What is their expected knowledge A complex construction of information and individual experience with an interrelatedsocial and environmental dimension. (N.B. many different interpretations of knowledgeexist, and this is one preferred in this Toolkit) or skill level, existing and desired? For text-based materials, what is their reading level?
Content. Is the content technically accurate and up-to-date? Is the material presented in a logical sequence? Is the material consistent with the proposed course curriculum a guide for learning which integrates the philosophy and orientation of a trainingprogramme, expected learning outcomes, key content, methodology and evaluation for the teaching and learning process., learning objectives and outcomes? Are the essentials covered? Are there too many elaborations that distract from the core content?
Format. Is the material of good quality in terms of cover, binding, paper and resistance to wear and tear? Is it handy for the purpose it needs to serve (size, weight, sturdy)? Does it require the use of additional equipment or supplies that may not be readily available?
Usefulness. Is it easy to use this material? Does it include instructional components that facilitate its use for teachers and learners?
Illustrations. Is the material well illustrated in terms of quantity and quality? Do the illustrations facilitate communication and learning? Do they contribute to the message? Are the illustrations properly captioned?
Cost. Is the cost of the materials justified by the instructional values they exhibit?
Overall rating. If several materials on the same subject exist, it will be good to give an overall rating that reflects the suitability of a specific material for a specific training or education purpose and audience.
Relevant aspects to be evaluated can be developed into a questionnaire using a simple ranking (e.g. 1 to 5, disagree - somehow disagree - somehow agree - agree) or a yes/no rating. Evaluators should also be given a chance to formulate a final recommendation and to make comments that will allow course organizers and resource persons to decide on the use of a specific training material. Several tools that can be used to evaluate various training materials are included as annex 3(a-d)1.
EXERCISES Evaluating training materials
Participants are given a selection of available agroforestry training materials (slides, video, manuals, lecture notes ) and a number of evaluation tools (questionnaires). They then evaluate these materials in the context of a proposed training activity.
Participants can also develop an evaluation tool (questionnaire) aimed at obtaining useful feedback from other trainers or users on a specific training material.
Such exercises can be made even more relevant if participants bring their own existing training materials for evaluation by others or if such evaluation can be conducted looking at the final draft of a material under production.