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How
Was GET REAL Developed? Who developed GET REAL? Project GET REAL
is a state leadership professional development activity funded by a grant from
the Nevada State Department of Education, Workforce Investment Act, Title II
(Adult Education and Family Literacy). It was developed in response to and
cooperation with adult education administrators in Nevada. How were the guidelines developed?
GET REAL guidelines for software and websites were developed over a
period of several months in the spring of 2002. Margaret Patterson, an
independent researcher based in Topeka, Kansas, provided research, analysis, and
website design services for the project. In May 2002 Margaret Patterson
also
facilitated a professional development session on using GET REAL for adult
education program directors and coordinators in Nevada and was scheduled to
facilitate further sessions for adult education instructional staff during
2002-2003. From the beginning the intent for GET REAL was to identify "the best of the best" in guidelines. The development process involved both qualitative and quantitative analyses of existing guidelines with a goal of triangulation and identifying themes and emphases for best practice.
Starting with website resources from the
Literacy Assistance Center of New York, National Institute for Literacy (NIFL),
ERIC, and other high-quality resource sites, research staff identified and
reviewed more than 20 online evaluation guidelines. An initial quantitative approach
examined: ·
Keywords in selection criteria from
NIFL’s National LINCS for web resources in their collection ·
Keywords in 5 online resources on
evaluating websites ·
Key phrases in 14 online guidelines for
websites and 7 online guidelines for software (see Additional Guidelines for
Evaluating Websites and Additional Guidelines for Evaluating Software) With
a focus on quality, research staff next identified key themes from the
quantitative findings, reviewed 21online guidelines for themes and emphases, and
selected elements for GET REAL guidelines based on those themes. A survey of
Nevada adult education program administrators was administered, summarized, and
used to refine emphases identified in the first qualitative phase. Finally,
based on the findings, GET REAL guidelines were written, tested, and placed on
the website. How
were links selected? Links
to guidelines were selected following an extensive search of website resources
from the Literacy Assistance Center of New York, National Institute for Literacy
(NIFL), ERIC, and other high-quality resource sites. Links to guidelines are
included for reference. Website visitors can examine these further guidelines
for additional information or to better understand the scope of the GET REAL
guidelines. Links
to technology resources were recommended from those same high-quality websites,
from websites linked to those websites, and from adult educators in Nevada and
Kansas. Links to software products and to websites for instruction are for
informational purposes only and are by no means comprehensive. GET
REAL website visitors can find numerous websites and software products to
consider for evaluation by either following the links on this site or through
recommendation of other adult educators. Although guidelines are designed to
assist in evaluation, interpretation of the quality of the websites or software
is ultimately the responsibility of the user. |
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