There are many forms and purposes for assessment and evaluation, and each can provide clues in the mystery of answering "how can we improve." The key is to carefully plan and design the different forms of evaluation or assessment so that we may obtain the maximum amount of information. This information may generate new knowledge or verify knowledge that we already know.

Evaluation implies a standard and can yield an implication of worth. The outcome of our combined forms of assessment or evaluation may be the basis for immediate and/or future decisions or policies. This is true regardless of the context – face-to-face or technology-based courses and programs. However, with the use of technology, there are some additional factors that must be considered. We will look at these factors as we also examine the different forms of evaluation and assessment relevant to distance education.

We have divided these factors into the following areas:

Student assessment and evaluation
Course evaluation
Program evaluation

You may link directly to any of the factors above, or you may go directly to student assessment and evaluation.

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