The Value of Technology Assessment

Technology assessment is necessary, and valuable, but imperfect. Campus, educator, and student assessment tools provide valuable information that is essential for technology planning. Information gathered from each individual assessment, however, should be treated carefully. 

Use of different assessment tools can provide varying results, depending on the wording of questions, the fluctuating attitudes of the persons answering the questions, and the interpretation of the data. A teacher who has had a wonderful day in class, where everything went according to plan, all the technology worked, and students were engaged in learning, would answer assessment questions much more positively than if they had just had a difficult day. In both cases, the planning, preparation, and use of technology would be the same, but the assessment would show different results.

Technology upgrades, although necessary, are another example of when an individual assessment may fall short of an accurate picture. When upgrading there is often a temporary setback in terms of usefulness until the new equipment can be explored and developed.  Anyone who has upgraded to a new phone experiences the same setback for a short time!

Even though a single assessment doesn't always provide an accurate picture of a campus, educator or student, results of assessments viewed over time do provide meaningful information. Assessment results can be used to track trends, provide baselines for comparison, track progress in different areas, and help in planning. Also, the exercise of completing an assessment on a regular basis is valuable. Participating in regular evaluations helps keep the focus on technology goals!