Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment
Technology
NWREL has conducted evaluations of the following educational technology initiatives:
- projects aimed at technology integration in K-12 schools and pre-service teacher education programs
- professional development programs for teachers and administrators
- student engagement projects involving educational technology
- distance education through Internet-based technologies and through television
- virtual high schools
- distance education for special populations, such as corrections inmates, extremely isolated rural residents, and Native American and Native Alaskan children and adults.
NWREL staff members work closely with national educational technology leaders, the State Educational Technology Directors Association, individual state educational technology directors in the West and nationally, and many local technology and curriculum coordinators. Staff work extensively with federal agencies, as well as many regional, state, local and private funding sources, and are familiar with the various fiscal, research, and reporting procedures used by these organizations. NWREL recently received a two-year National Science Foundation award to support research on Models of Evaluation and Research for Educational Technologies. This study is being conducted by the Research Unit of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment.
The following examples highlight the range of technology programs evaluated.
Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) is a current U.S. Department of Education program that provides funding to local districts (administered through their state departments of education) through both formula and competitive grants. EETT was designed to assist districts to effectively integrate educational technologies in curriculum and instruction. NWREL has provided annual statewide project planning and evaluation workshops in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska, and has provided detailed evaluations of projects in Montana, Alaska, Maryland and California.
Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) projects lasted three years each and were designed to transform teacher education so that technology could be effectively integrated throughout the teaching and learning process. The goal was to ensure that new teachers were prepared to effectively use computers in the classroom. NWREL conducted in-depth evaluations of eight PT3 projects, involving teacher education programs in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Ohio and Kentucky.
Technology Innovation Challenge Grants were comprehensive five-year projects that formed partnerships of school districts, colleges and universities, and private businesses to spur the development of new applications and creative ways to use technology to improve learning. NWREL conducted evaluations of 13 large projects in Washington, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico, and Idaho. One series of five annual evaluation studies provided data and findings that resulted in an Exemplary award for the Generation Y project from the U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Panel on Educational Technology.
Distance Education evaluation studies have examined both Web-based and television-based projects. In addition to evaluating a number of virtual high school programs, professional development projects and other Web-based distance education initiatives, NWREL has evaluated federally funded Star Schools programs, multiple-year distance learning projects designed to assist underserved student populations using satellite television technology.