In Focus | Education Program Evaluation

How to explain education program evaluation? Mona Levine, Ph.D. prefers the “soup” analogy: When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative evaluation. When the guests taste the soup, that’s summative evaluation, “And I would add,” says Levine, an instructor in Georgetown University’s certificate program in Education Program Evaluation, “when the cook decides what soup to make, that’s front-end evaluation.” Culinary matters aside, “in today’s world, assessment is expected,” Levine says, “and program evaluation is a great assessment and accountability tool.” Here, Levine talks with Georgetown Senior Assistant Dean Kristen Hodge-Clark, Ph.D., about how the University’s certificate program is attracting a broad array of professionals from teaching, educational administration, the sciences, and other fields.