assignment 7

“Who wants to know?” This sassy comeback to a question fades in and out of popularity. Although the tone of its delivery is often confrontational, the question itself has value. Even more value is attributed to the answers to the question of who wants to know. What information we share and how we share it depends on who is listening. In the context of an academic program review, there are many potential audiences. Consider the graphic organizer below. Think of this graphic as a staircase of units: program, department, college, and institution. Within each of these units there are different people and groups who may want to know about your program evaluation. Pause for a moment and list these different individuals and groups under each unit. There may be different units—or “stairs”—you want to include.   After you have jotted down the different audiences within the institution that houses the academic program you evaluated, you need to consider the different audiences outside of the institution. It may help to review your work from Module Three. Return to the question, “Who wants to know?” What other organizations, accreditors, individuals, funders, community members, or other stakeholders might be interested in your program evaluation? In the discussion for this module, you will explore these different audiences who might be interested in your evaluation. You will choose two from each list—internal and external. Once you have identified these four audiences (two internal and two external), you need to move from the question of “Who wants to know?” to the question of “What do they want to know?” Ask yourself why each of these audiences is interested in your program evaluation. Consider the perspectives of each audience; what does each one want to know about the evaluation? What information from the program review is most pertinent for these different audiences? In the next module, you will explore the most appropriate ways to visualize data and present information to these different audiences. For now, focus on the audiences and their required information.