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Acquisition Planning Course

Formative and Summative Evaluation Plan
Formative Evaluation Plan:
The first stage of the formative evaluation for the Acquisition Planning course will be a
simultaneous goal and expert review of the learning objectives, course syllabus and lesson plan.
This review will be conducted by the agency Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) who is an
expert in the subject matter as well as instructional design. In order to facilitate the goal/expert
review, a questionnaire with the following questions will be provided to the ACM. The goal will
be for the ACM to complete the review within 14 calendar days. The instructional designer will
review the ACMs feedback, interview the ACM in person if necessary, and make changes to the
course as necessary. The changes shall be made within 14 calendar days from receipt of the
ACMs evaluation.
ACM Review
1. Do the learning objectives incorporate the requirements of the Contracts Management Manual
(CMM) Chapter 7.1 and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 7?
2. Are the learning objectives appropriately geared to the experience level of the workforce?
3. Is the online format appropriate to the topic/learners?
4. Does the sequence of the training match the sequence of acquisition planning events included in
the CMM and FAR?
5. Are the content graphics interesting/appropriate?
6. Is the content easy to understand?
7. Is the content up to date with current CMM and FAR requirements?
7. Are the test questions a valid measurement of the knowledge needed to adequately complete
acquisition planning?
8. Are the examples and scenarios provided in the training realistic?
9. Is the overall course consistent with the principles of instructional theory?
The second phase of the formative evaluation will be a one-to-one evaluation with four members
of the learning community. There will be one member from each of the following groups, which
when combined, represent the stakeholders in the agency acquisition community: Procurement
Operational Divisions; Regional Acquisition Offices; Program Offices; and Section 508 expert.
The purpose of the Section 508 experts review is to validate the materials are compliant with
Section 508 accessibility requirements. Volunteers from the Operational, Regional and Program
offices will be selected based on their acquisition experience with a goal of obtaining mid level
acquisition planners with average knowledge in acquisition planning. The learners will be asked
to take the course and provide written responses to the following questions within 14 calendar
days. The instructional designer will review the evaluation responses, interview respondents as
necessary, and make subsequent changes to the training as necessary within 14 calendar days of
receipt of the responses.

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One-to-One Evaluation
1. Are the course objectives clear?
2. Do the course objectives meet a learning need?
3. Are the course materials clear and effective?
4. Are the test questions useful and informative?
5. After taking the course, do you understand the four phases of acquisition planning?
6. After completing the course, do you feel you have sufficient knowledge to perform acquisition
planning in accordance with agency regulations and FAR Part 7?
7. Are the materials Section 508 compliant? Are there any changes that would make the materials
more accessible for the Section 508 community? (Section 508 reviewer only).
The third phase of the formative evaluation will be a small-group evaluation with three to four
learners from the same representative groups identified in the one-to-one evaluation, with the
exception of the Section 508 expert. The same Section 508 expert will perform reviews as
necessary until the material can be certified as Section 508 compliant. For the remaining groups,
managers will be asked to identify participants with various levels of experience with at least one
representative from each group who is new to the field. The following questions will be used to
facilitate the small-group evaluation with written responses due within 14 calendar days. The
instructional designer will review the evaluation responses, interview respondents as necessary,
and make subsequent changes to the training as necessary within 14 calendar days of receipt of
the responses.
Small-Group Evaluation
1. Were you able to understand the material based on your current experience?
2. Did you have to go outside the course to access definitions or other material necessary to
understand the instruction? If so, what additional information did you need to understand the
materials?
3. Are the course objectives clear?
4. Do the course objectives meet a learning need?
5. Are the course materials clear and effective?
6. Are the test questions useful and informative?
7. After taking the course, do you understand the four phases of acquisition planning?
8. After completing the course, do you feel you have sufficient knowledge to perform acquisition
planning in accordance with agency regulations and FAR Part 7?
9. How long did it take to complete the course?
10. How many attempts did it take to successfully complete the final test? Which questions were
you not able to answer correctly the first time?
11. Are the materials Section 508 compliant? Are there any changes that would make the materials
more accessible for the Section 508 community? (Section 508 reviewer only).
Since this is a short course and relatively straight forward, it is anticipated that the one-on-one
and small group evaluations will be sufficient to ascertain whether the materials are sufficient.
Thus, rather than spend more time validating the materials, a larger field trial will not be
conducted. Instead, the course will be made available to all members of the acquisition
community with a course evaluation form consisting of the same questions in the small-group
evaluation. This form will be used to perform summative evaluation on a quarterly basis.
Responses to the course evaluation form will be analyzed by the instructional designer
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biannually with results and recommendations provided to the ACM for validation. Since the need
for acquisition planning is long term, and there are not costs associated after implementation, the
primary aspect of the biannual summative analysis will be to review all applicable policies,
regulations, references etc. to ensure they are current and up to date.