What is the CIPP Model?
CIPP is the acronym for Context-Input-Process-Product and represents a comprehensive evaluation framework modelled for providing guidance for evaluation of programs, projects, products, institutions, personnel and systems . Educational systems in most parts of the world has numerous players in both the traditional and online formats. Globalization, combined with the advancements made in the area of information and communication technology have rewritten the traditional concepts of education and there are numerous avenues in today’s world to pick the program of your choice. This explosive growth has raised concerns on the quality of these programs and the need for having a comprehensive evaluation tool became increasingly relevant. This is the area where CIPP model helps through its decision oriented approach, where program evaluation means systematically collecting information about the purpose, implementation, characteristics, actions and results of the program to judge and identify areas for improving its effectiveness and provide guidelines of the future course of action . The CIPP model, though initiated primarily for the educational sector to help administrators in making informed decisions, its concepts are now used in other industries as well, albeit very rarely.
Who is Daniel Stufflebeam?
Daniel Stufflebeam, who devised the CIPP evaluation model was an eminent scholar and author of several books and contributor to various publications. He was born in Iowa in 1936 and completed his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1964 . He had held several senior faculty positions in Ohio State University and Western Michigan University. He had served the U.S army during the early 1960s and had been a member of American Educational Research Organization, National Council on Measurement in Education and American Evaluation Association. In 1985, he was awarded with Paul Lazersfeld Award presented by the Evaluation Research Society .
What is the purpose of the CIPP evaluation approach?
As mentioned earlier, evaluating an educational program based on an industry accepted set of benchmarks is both challenging as well as critical. With an avalanche of innovation triggered by the lure of the global market and easy access to supporting technology, educational programs of various shapes, sizes and formats are getting rolled out year on year. Measuring the quality and effectiveness of these programs are highly critical as it helps to sort the wheat from the chaff. It was with this intention that the renowned scholar Daniel Stufflebeam devised the CIPP model in order to help evaluators gather the necessary information that helps in decision making. In CIPP model, the focus is on evaluation and the outcomes are treated as a part of the project.
How and why did this approach come about?
Multiple evaluation models have been present during when the CIPP model was introduced. The five major categories of evaluation were pseudo-evaluations, improvement and accountability oriented evaluations, quasi-evaluation studies, social agenda studies and eclectic evaluation . These five categories represented five different approaches in evaluation, some of them being political objectives, evaluation by pretext, politically controlled studies, focus on answering questions, use of a single methodological approach, outcome evaluation etc..
Compared to these project evaluation standards, CIPP evaluation model has been identified as the best approach based on the rating achieved for various parameters like feasibility, utility and accuracy . The major advantage of CIPP is that it belongs to the improvement/accountability set and is currently one of the most accepted models. The key differentiator of CIPP model is that it involves both the evaluators and the stakeholders in conducting assessments throughout the process, which provides the advantage of completeness in evaluation which none of the other models can stake claim of.
Works Cited
Admazur. The CIPP Evaluation Model: A Summary. 10 June 2013. Website. 4 March 2016.
Guili Zhang, Nancy Zeller, Robin Griffith, Debbie Metcalf, Jennifer Williams, Christine Shea, Katherine Misulis. "Using CIPP Model as a Comprehensive Framework to Guide the Planning, Implementation, and Assessment of Service-learning Programs." Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (2011): 57-84. Website.
Stufflebeam. SlideFinder. 14 September 1998. Website. 5 March 2016.
Stufflebeam, Daniel L. "CIPP Evaluation Model Checklist." 17 March 2007. wmich.edu. Website. 4 March 2016.
