In an earlier chapter, instructions were provided for pre-scheduling an informal observation. However, there might be times when a principal wants to conduct a spontaneous, "on-the-fly" informal observation, without a pre-conference or post-conference. Setting up this type of observation is very similar to pre-scheduling an informal observation, with a few less steps.

1. Click on the Options link in the top portion of the menu, and choose the Work Area to Evaluate Teachers.
2. Click on the green Done button.
3. Choose the teacher's name in the drop-down menu on the left.

Then click on the Observations menu item in the menu bar on the left. A green marker will appear to the left of the word Observations to indicate that the Observations menu has been activated.

If an informal observation has already been scheduled and set up in the eVAL tool, then follow the steps for a formal observation.

If the observation is a spontaneous "on-the-fly" informal walk-through, click on the green Add Observation button on the right side of the work area for that teacher. In this case, a temporary drop-down window will appear, and you should choose the Informal button in that window.

You'll come to the work space for the Setup tab.

1. Give your informal observation a title.
2. Click on the calendar icon for this informal observation.
3. Use the forward and back arrows on the calendar to navigate to the pertinent month of the informal observation.
4. Click on the date of the informal observation.

Establish the start time of the informal observation by clicking in the pertinent field. Select the hour and minute (and the AM/PM setting) for the start time. Make sure you click on the green save button.

The Observation Setup work space will look similar to the screen image below. If you wish to add a Post-Conference event to the informal observation, click on the green button that says Add Post-Conf, and follow the steps above to schedule that activity.

To use the Notes Editor for the informal observation, click on the Observe tab. The Notes Editor will appear, along with a Rubric Navigator on the right side of the work space.