Generating Randomized Schedules for Direct Observations in Microsoft® Office Excel

The process of scheduling classroom observations-either for staff or for student performance data collection-is often done haphazardly or out of simple convenience. However, slapdash approaches to scheduling are rich with possible confounds to the validity of the data being collected. Due to the possibility of detrimental outcomes such as reactivity or stimulus control, classrooms observations ought to be scheduled in a calculated "randomized" approach. In this technical article, we outline the various ways in which unsystematic scheduling of observation may evoke undesirable trends in data. We then present a task analysis detailing ways in which a supervisor may use Microsoft® Office Excel®-a widely available spreadsheet program-to create randomized schedules to promote the integrity of the dependent variables being collected during scheduled observations. Implications of using simple spreadsheets to assist supervisors in scheduling "random" observations are discussed.