Evaluation Category & Criteria

One approach to evaluation is to start with the QUALITIES of the thing and move to the CATEGORY. Moving from specific to broad

What are the qualities of this apartment?

…so what kind of apartment is it? (category!) What are particular details about this apartment that stand out to you? What do those details tell you about what sort of apartment this is? For example: who owns it, what style of decorating is it, etc. …so what kind of apartment is it? (category!)

Try another…

What are the qualities of this apartment?

…so what kind of apartment is it? (category!) What are particular details about this apartment that stand out to you? What do those details tell you about what sort of apartment this is? For example: who owns it, what style of decorating is it, etc. …so what kind of apartment is it? (category!)

( a very important note!) Criteria MUST come from category. It’s important NOT to develop a category based on the qualities of the thing but to develop criteria that genuinely fit the category. Avoid convenient criteria (criteria that just so happen to fit the “thing” perfectly!). Your audience will find this suspect! You should end up with a category under which several different “things” can be evaluated. ( a very important note!)

Now try evaluation another way…

The other approach to evaluation is to start with a CATEGORY and determine if a “thing” belongs in that category. Moving from broad to specific

What are some qualities of a student apartment?

Do these apartments meet any of your criteria for “student apartment?”

To recap… There are two ways to approach an evaluation.

1. Start specific and move to broad. Start with a “thing” (presumably something you find interesting), notice some qualities about it, and imagine a possible category it might fit under. 1. Start specific and move to broad.

2. Start broad and move to specific. Start with a category, determine criteria for that category, and then evaluate the “thing” to see if it belongs in that category—or to what degree it fits in that category. 2. Start broad and move to specific.

And finally: Do wombats win in the category “ANIMALS SO CUTE IT’S ACTUALLY PAINFUL TO ONE’S HEART?”