Evaluation+Clock

Version 2: April 30, 2009 "Stripped Down" version below Full clock attached

//0. The "intervention," i.e., action/program/policy/curriculum/practice/treatment/difference/etc. whose effectiveness needs to be evaluated.//

The intervention that needs to be evaluated is the formation of a Community of Practice among employees involved in EDC’s mathematics curriculum initiatives.

//2. The comparison needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention between two (or more) situations.//

Comparisons will be made using the definition of a CoP and the processes and structures that need to be in place in order for a CoP to be effective (based on literature), as supported by the literature (mainly Wenger, 1998). I will use this criterion to determine if there is a CoP in practice – and whether after actions taken during the AR cycle – a CoP begins to form or emerge over time. The first comparison will serve as a benchmark and subsequent comparisons will measure progress and impact as the CoP expands.

//3. To undertake the comparisons, the effects of the intervention will be assessed by looking at the following specific variable(s) in the situations://

The situation is the informal collaboration, organizational learning, and knowledge sharing that occur among employees within our division. The variables to be measured are:

Elements of a Community of Practice: 1. Mutual engagement – Are members functioning as a social entity? Are members actively interacting and exchanging information? Is there a mechanism for members to construct and negotiate meaning or understanding for themselves? Is there means to help members to construct their identity in relation to the CoP? 2. Shared repertoire – What resources, knowledge, routines, or experiences are being developed or shared? 3. Joint enterprise – Is there a shared domain, goal, meaning, or problem members are committed to?

Characteristics of the Community: - Reproducability: are newcomers able to move from participating as a peripheral member to a core member? Can outsiders learn from the periphery? -

//4. The following methods will be used to produce observations or measurements of those variables: survey, questionnaire, etc.)// • Survey checklist to measure whether EDC practices are aligned with the definition of a CoP (A second phase of this evaluation (after 1 year) might measure impact of the CoP and its expansion and sustainability) • My meeting notes and observations as the action research project is implemented (what social activities take place, communications occur) • Collection of resources/artifacts created by the CoP

//5. The people who will be observed/measured are...// Initially my colleagues in the Math Learning and Teaching division; as the CoP expands, teachers and coaches using our curriculum and others who join our CoP

//This is done in the following places/situations... or derived indirectly from the following sources...// I would serve as the initial ‘evaluator’ but I’d like to consider involving someone who is not leading the AR project.