It is anticipated that this model will provide a base on which to develop student assessments and program evaluation tools. A secondary purpose of the study was to obtain some preliminary information about the variables that affect students' performance in design situations. A rubric was developed, validated, and pilot tested to assess individual performance within each group. This tool was comprised of four primary learner outcome dimensions, which were further sub-divided into strands. Key incidents were then developed for each strand along a 5-point continuum of expertise.
Preliminary findings indicate that students perceived the task to be authentic and engaging.
Also, the assessment rubric proved to be a useable, valid, and reliable tool for measuring student performance in design situations. These findings suggest that there is strong potential for use of the rubric by classroom teachers to assess technological design activities. Statistical analysis of the study's independent variables and in-depth analysis of qualitative data is in process. The study's assessment model has wide-ranging potential and application in technology education. The model and associated tools may also serve to document the value of technology education programs for school administrators and the general public.