VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
initial training events do not adequately capture a full measure of program impact;
these numbers function as a mere starting point in describing the initial tier of
training in a multi-level structure. As the impact of a community of practice
spreads, metrics may seem ethereal and require a more holistic measurement
approach that include both quantitative and qualitative measures. Individual gains
may be better measured as collective gains. For example, when singular drops of
dye are dropped in a glass of clear liquid, it is easy at first to count the number of
colored drops. Once there is a critical mass of drops, the amount of dye must
instead be measured in terms of percent saturation rather than number of drops. As
related to CoPs within a train-the-trainer program, it would only be to our students'
greatest gain to have our professional field so saturated with technology training
(and by extension, proficiency) that we must report impact in terms of collective
gain rather than singular drops. Although acknowledged as a program evaluation
challenge, know that the challenge can be easily overcome by more sophisticated
measurement approaches (Wilson, 2023). An evaluation challenge should not deter
program administrators from committing to a train-the-trainer strategy simply
because the impact will require more nuanced measures.
In the field of education, teachers often express that their goal is to "teach
themselves out of a job," meaning that the goal of instruction is for students to
become self-determined and independent. While this phrase is often expressed, in
