Valu.Elearn. An Online Education Programme for enhancing the school staff’s evaluation competence

Abstract

In recent years, school evaluation systems in several Countries of the world envisage evaluation models increasingly based on the direct involvement of school actors. In the Italian scenario, the need for specific training among school staff on school evaluation was detected. This contribution presents a theoretical framework of expertise for school evaluation and the educational model underlying an online education Program addressing teachers and school principals working in Italian schools (Valu.Elearn). In terms of educational design, the Program was conceived to promote self-reflective, experiential, social and self-directed learning of adult professionals through the combination of transmissive and active e-learning methodologies. The last part of the article synthesizes the main results emerged from monitoring the Program’s first edition attended by 393 participants including primary and secondary school teachers, school principals and expert evaluators. The conclusions reflect critically on the sustainability of the Program and on its possible developments, in order to differentiate the online education model according to the participants' initial evaluation competences, as well as their direct involvement in the self-evaluation of the respective institutions.