Post-workshop Assessments Research Articles

Using Assessment as a Tool to Improve Learning: an IFLA Workshop

Three librarians from Rutgers University Libraries collaborated on the program ‘Using Assessment as a Tool to Improve Learning’ at the 69th IFLA General Conference and Council in Berlin, Germany in 2003. The workshop was designed to provide participants with an expanded understanding of assessment, and experience with using it effectively as a tool to facilitate improved learning. The presenters framed the workshop with a pre-workshop assessment and post-workshop assessment. The responses from the pre-workshop assessment supported the workshop’s design, provided an initial understanding of the individual participants’ contexts and experiences, and formed the basis for the workshop’s small group activities. The post-workshop assessments offered valuable suggestions for future programs. The article shares the essence of the workshop in the words of the facilitators, each of whom focused on assessment at a different level. The three modes discussed are teacher/instructor, learner/student, and programmatic/institutional.

Chemotherapy order review and documentation: let’s put the anDROIDs to work!

Objective To develop a process which assists pharmacists in oncology order review, patient assessment, drug therapy monitoring, and documentation and evaluate whether it is useful in practice. Methods A process called the anDROIDs (Appendix A) is discussed. The acronym represents Antineoplastic Data Collection, Review of Systems, Oncology Target, Identification of drug-related problems, and Documentation System. A tool representing the process was created and introduced to a focus group in an oncology pharmacy workshop. Participants’ responses were measured using pre- and post-workshop assessments. Results. The focus group had positive responses in the post-workshop assessment compared to pre-workshop data. Participants found the anDROIDs tool to be easy to use and planned to incorporate it into their pharmacy practice. Conclusion The anDROIDs tool may have potential application in oncology pharmacy and can be modified to other pharmacy practice settings.

Impact of an outdoor educational strategy on teacher profile in environmental education

A combination of teaching techniques and a Social Environmental Education model, which together reflected an outdoor educational strategy, was employed at the Yankari National Park in Nigeria in 1994 to reorientate a sample of teachers towards environmental education (EE) popularization and delivery at the primary and junior secondary school levels. Pre- and post-workshop assessments conducted to determine the impact of the workshop strategy on teachers' EE profile (TEEP) — comprising awareness (Aw), knowledge (Kn), skills (pS), action (Ac) and commitment/participation (Ct) — indicated a highly significant shift in teacher competencies and conceptual awareness about EE. The magnitude of change in Aw and Kn against that of pS, Ac and Ct attests to the need to regularly expose teachers to EE problem-solving situations to internalize EE and affect attitude and behaviour in teachers.

Evaluation of a Preparation for Marriage Workshop

A preparation for marriage workshop was evaluated using pre- and post-workshop assessments of various personal and relationship issues related to marriage and a follow-up questionnaire. Areas of greatest improvement in individual and couple responses were communication and sexual relationships. Indecision about aspects of marital relationships was generally reduced. Few differences in pre- and post-test scores and respondents reports about the usefulness of workshop activities were observed between couples who married their workshop partner and those who did not leading to the conclusion that the workshop activities were benefical for both groups. Couples enrolled in 3 successive regularly scheduled semi-annual Preparation for Marriage Workshops in response to advertisements and referrals. Their goal was their own premarital preparation and they were unaware at the timeof enrollment that they would be asked to evaluate the workshop. 2 instruments were used to evaluate the workshop: the PREPARE Inventory and a follow-up survey. The PREPARE Inventory was designed to assess personal and relationship issues in 12 content areas related to marriage. Items included: idealistic distortion realistic expectations personality issues communication conflict resolution financial management leisure activities sexual relationship and children and marriage. The sample consisted of 30 couples. Among those who married the greatest changes between pre- and post-workshop scores have occurred in the categories of >exual Relationship Religious Orientation Financial Management Children and Marriage and Communication. Major reductions in positive couple agreement for those who chose not to marry appear in the categories of Financial Management Realistic Expectations Leisure Activities and Conflict Resolution.