Year 1 Evaluation

Year 1

Launching the Program

In its first year of operation, the Maryland Technology Academy Leadership Program was successful and well received by the participating Fellows.

In both post-Institute and follow-up surveys, Fellows indicated that they had benefited a great deal from the Academy experience in various ways.  They generally believed that their technical skills, as well as their ability to integrate technology into instruction, improved considerably, and they attributed quite a bit of that improvement to the Academy experience. 

They also believed that the Academy had definitely helped them build the skills needed to provide training and assistance to others and to promote change in their schools and districts.  The numerous leadership roles assumed by Fellows demonstrated that the Academy was capable of accomplishing its goal of creating a cadre of instructional technology leaders for the State.

Above all things, Fellows valued the opportunity to participate in an intensive professional development activity with colleagues who shared their interest in using technology to promote students’ learning.  They expressed a strong interest in continuing to communicate with Fellows and to remain a part of the larger Academy community. 

Year 2 Evaluation

Year 2
Revamping the Program

Many of the suggestions made by Year 1 Fellows were implemented by the Academy planning team and instructors during Year 2.  This resulted in even greater overall satisfaction of participating Fellows and substantial skill gains.
 
As in Year 1, Fellows particularly valued the opportunity to network and share ideas with other educators from all around the State. They valued the hands-on learning opportunities and the focus on practical real-world applications of technology in the classroom. Overall, Fellows rated the MTA Leadership Program highly. At the end of the Summer Institute, they expected the experience to greatly affect their instructional practice, and based upon follow-up survey results, these expectations were to a great extent realized.

Fellows believed that their skills improved. In virtually every targeted skill area, the mean rating of Fellows was between “some” and “a great deal” of improvement. Every skill area received a higher mean rating in Year 2 than in Year 1. This was true immediately after the Institute and at follow-up nearly 9 months later. This seems to indicate that Fellows’ initial beliefs about their gains were confirmed once they returned to work in their schools and districts.

Fellows were very positive about the program and its staff. They felt they had derived many benefits from participation. In addition to acquiring technology and integration skills, they built relationships with like-minded educators, gained confidence in themselves, and acquired important leadership skills. Nearly all regarded the overall MTA experience as very good or excellent. Fellows believed that the program had a significant effect on their instructional practice and that they were considerably more effective in using technology in the classroom.

They also reported being much more capable of providing training and assistance to others and promoting change in their schools and districts. Most Fellows took on new leadership responsibilities in their buildings and/or districts, often providing training and assistance to other teachers.

Nearly all Fellows wanted to maintain contact with the program in some way, and nearly three-quarters wanted to continue to participate in the electronic learning community (ELC).  In Year 2, the ELC was a vital component of the program. It was used by Fellows for continued networking with peers and staff members and as a source of high-quality instructional resources.

In summary, the Year 2 MTA Leadership Program was well received by Fellows and led to substantial gains in many areas. Program implementers made many adjustments based on feedback from Year 1 participants and substantially changed the program. The results of the Year 2 evaluation confirm that the team’s efforts to develop a high-quality professional development program were very successful.