A Design to Improve Internal Validity of Assessments of Teaching Demonstrations

Abstract

Internal validity is important in assessing teaching demonstrations both for one's knowledge and for quality assessment demanded by outside sources. We describe a method to improve the internal validity of assessments of teaching demonstrations: a 1-group pretest–posttest design with alternative forms. This design is often more practical and ethical than random assignment, and it is more valid than a single posttest-only or simple 1-group pretest–posttest design. We describe how to interpret results from this design and discuss the advantages and disadvantages.