Purposes of Evaluation
Why evaluate?
•Accountability: Justify trust of stakeholders (funders, parents,citizens) by showing program results (Summative)
•Program Improvement: Demonstrate how things are workingand where it needs to be improved (Formative)
Purposes of Evaluation
Why evaluate?
•Strengthening Relationships: Evaluators/Leaders betterunderstand audience by planning, listening to needs,experiences, outcomes; Youth better understand evaluators/leaders/program by building trust and understanding
•Building Capacity: Program organization, leaders, andparticipants gain skills and insights by reflecting on programquality and impact
Purposes of Evaluation
Why evaluate?
•Innovation: Program leaders and participants generate newideas about or beyond the program through reflecting on it
Purposes of Evaluation
When programs begin by…
•Strengthening Relationships…building trust andunderstanding…they initiate a listening process for…
•Improving Programs…learning from what we experience inprograms…that leads to organizations and individuals…
•Building Capacity…growing deeper skills and broaderperspectives needed for higher quality programs…
•Demonstrating Accountability (Outcomes)…achieving goalstargeted by program designs, expected by stakeholders, and…
•Spawning Innovation…inspiring leaders and participants togo beyond current programs and results and create newopportunities
Planning Logic
Begin with the end in mind…
•Inputs: curriculum, materials, equipment, expertise
•Activities: events, experiences
•Outputs: completed missions, projects, tools
•Outcomes: results of programming
–Short-term: Knowledge-Attitudes-Skills-Attitudes
–Mid-term: Practices, Behavior (Performance criteria)
–Long-term: Educational goals and achievements; vocationaland community involvement goals and achievements
Program Evaluation Steps
Following through
on scanning and planning…
•(Environmental Scanning and Needs Assessment)
•Planning: understanding the process and setting priorities forsupporting and conducting short- and long-term evaluations
•Focusing: identifying purposes and types of evaluations andgeneral questions or outcome indicators for a given program
Program Evaluation Steps
Following through
on planning…
•Designing: organizing the approaches and developing specificquestions and indicators for a given program
•Selecting Methods: choosing appropriate and adequate toolsand procedures to answer evaluation questions
Program Evaluation Steps
Following through on planning…
(Program Implementation)
•Collecting and Maintaining Data: systematically gathering,organizing, and securely storing data
•Analyzing and Interpreting: testing data and explainingresults based on target questions to be answered
•Communicating Results: reporting and interpreting programquality and outcomes to a variety of interested people
Review on Evaluation Skills
•Evaluation Purposes
–Product and process
–People and Program
•Planning Logic
–Where to begin…what to plan for
–Steps to prepare…how to build quality
•Evaluation Steps
–Sequencing and synchronizing
–Intentional, not accidental
Key Qs on Evaluation Skills Training (input on E-Basics)
•What key concepts or skills are important forunderstanding and implementing evaluations ofinformal science programs?
•What strategies are most effective for teachingevaluation skills (and how do they sequencetogether)?
Key Qs on Evaluation Skills Training (input on E-Basics)
•What is the relationship between programming andevaluation and how should our learning of evaluationskills reflect that connection?
•What can we expect to accomplish in this webinar(relative to E-Basics) and what can we expect toaccomplish in our state teams?
Key Qs on the Community of Practice
•How is this learning circle influencing your capacity asan individual and as a state team?
•What are individuals or your state teams doingbetween webinar meetings that strengthen your statescience initiative?
•What resources or activities of the learning circleare/could be helpful in building and implementing yourstate plan?
Key Qs on the 4-H Sci E-LC Webinar (Conveners)
•How do you understand the purposes and process ofthe webinar after this session?
•Does the webinar focus fit with your state team’sneeds and readiness?
•What actions do you recommend for the nextsession? How can each segment be improved?
•What do you plan to do with your state team beforethe next session?