INNOVATION IN TEACHER EDUCATION: FACULTY MEMBERS’ AND ASSESSMENT COORDINATORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ELECTRONIC ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS

by
Dustin Michael Hebert

Electronic assessment systems (EASs) have proliferated teacher education programs in postsecondary education. Mostly, these systems facilitate candidate and program assessment through technologymediated
procedures, allowing for greater efficiency and accuracy in data collection and analysis. If implemented successfully, the work of individuals associated with teacher education programs from faculty members to assessment coordinators and beyond has the potential to benefit from utilizing the system for coursebased and programmatic assessment, both of which are criteria for the accreditation of teacher education programs by
the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
This qualitative study explores the perceptions of faculty and assessment coordinators at three institutions of higher education as they relate to three different EASs. Such research is absent from current literature. However, limited research on EASs does exist, and this study contributes to that research within the context of teacher education programs and the innovation diffusion theoretical framework. To accomplish that, the research questions are addressed through the use of informal conversational and interview guide protocols, both suggested by Patton (2002), with the participants. Data analysis reflects the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), and the results of that analysis are presented in questionandanswer case study and crosscase analysis formats. These reporting methods present comprehensive results through thick descriptions (Patton, 2002) and discussions of crosscase themes, respectively. Results of this study lead the researcher to conclude that EASs are significant in teacher education programs, and the results reveal that the critical issues regarding EAS adoption relate to (1) technology mandates by NCATE, (2) the issues of change and innovation diffusion as they relate to individuals and organizations, and (3) the standardization effect of EASs on assessment.