I would agree with Tom Reeves that teachers, and more specifically instructional designers are not really interested in evaluation for the purpose of understanding the deepest rules of life, the universe or the meaning of life. I do agree also that teachers are problem-solvers, solution-focused and wholly interested in doing stuff better to ensure student learn better. Of the approaches described by Reeves and Hegarty, I prefer a mixed model, going for what ever is efficient and effective. I actually prefer surveys compared between what people say they did, what other people observe happened and what the data says. This helps to make clear the difference or consistency between how the student sees what they did, and how they did it. This understanding can feed into modifying the resources they receive in future, the guidance provided, the expectations given to them, the committments made by them...
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Yes I agree Craig evaluation is done to improve and in the case of teaching and learning this can only be a good thing. You have made a good point about using different types of data for the checks and balances. I guess it is similar to how we perceive our teaching - we might think we are doing a good job due to having a good rapport with students, however, if students were asked by an independent researcher or via survey...the responses might be quite different.
We can only get appropriate answers if we ask the right questions. Case in point: The "Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notable_phrases_from_The_
Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy). However what is the ultimate question? :)
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