Enhance Your Evaluation Skills With Our Top Resources!

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Are you looking to improve your evaluation skills this fall? Whether you’re new to the field or looking to advance your knowledge, we have a range of practical, easy-to-use resources to help with your learning goals. 

At Three Hive Consulting, we use a “Three U’s” approach to our evaluations. We may apply the U’s iteratively for longer or developmental evaluations. Using this as a guide for how we develop evaluations, below are key resources Eval Academy has developed to support the evaluation process.

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Understand

Starting an evaluation can feel daunting, but having a plan can help lead you to success. Define who needs to know what, when, and how to collect, analyze and report on the data. This is where you define the overall purpose, scope, and design of your evaluation. Invest time in clarifying your evaluation questions, engaging partners and interest holders, and developing a plan. We have articles, resources, and a course to help you start your evaluation.

Articles:

• The Components Of An Evaluation Plan

• Project Management For Evaluation

• Putting An Ethics Lens On Your Evaluation Planning

• What Conversations Do You Need To Have At The Start Of An Evaluation?

• Scoping An Evaluation: Begin With The Purpose

• Scope Creep: When To Indulge It, And When To Avoid It

Resources:

• Complete Planning Bundle

• Evaluation Plan Template

• Program Evaluation Scoping Guide

• Writing Evaluation Questions - Video

• Customizable Logic Model Template

Course:

• Program Evaluation for Program Managers

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Uncover

Collect your data. This can be through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations. Prioritize quality and ethical practices in your collection process. Good data forms the backbone of reliable findings and future recommendations. Our articles, resources, and interactive course are here to assist you with your data collection.

Articles:

• Building Trauma-Informed Evaluation Tools

• How to Conduct Interviews

• Survey Question Types

• Stratified Random Sampling In Evaluation

• Arts-Based Data Collection Techniques

• How To Use World Cafés As An Evaluation Data Collection Method

• Engaging Indigenous Participants Using Keeoukaywin, The Visiting Way

• How We Used The Delphi Process In Our Evaluation

• How To Complete An Environmental Scan: Avoiding The Rabbit Holes

• Mastering The Art Of A Document Review: Turning Data Into Insights

Resources:

• Complete Qualitative Data Collection Bundle

• Complete Quantitative Data Collection Bundle

• Data Request Form Template

• Survey Design Tipsheet

• Steps for Developing an Outcome Assessment Survey Infographic

• 10 Tips for Running a Focus Group Infographic

• Using Case Studies In Your Evaluation Tip Sheet

• Using the Kirkpatrick Model - Video

Course:

• Evaluation Data Collection Methods – this is a new course launching September 1

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Utilize

Analyze and communicate your findings effectively.

Draw on both quantitative and qualitative methods to make sense of the data you’ve collected. Look for patterns, emerging stories, and lessons learned. Thoughtful analysis is essential for transforming data into actionable knowledge, ensuring your conclusions are both accurate and meaningful.

Ultimately, how well you communicate your findings will influence your evaluation’s impact.  Create clear data visualizations and concise reporting products to make your results more engaging and help make complex information more accessible to a variety of audiences. Take the time to choose the right charts, graphs, or infographics to highlight what matters most in your data.

Explore our articles and resources on analysis, data visualization, reporting, and writing tips to help you utilize your data and further the impact of your findings.

Articles:

• Resources For Learning How To Code Qualitative Data

• Interpreting Themes From Qualitative Data: Thematic Analysis

• Creating A Qualitative Codebook

• Crafting Compelling Narratives: A Guide To Presenting Themes From Qualitative Data

• How To Combine Data From Multiple Sources For Cleaning And Analysis

• The Data Cleaning Toolbox

• Data Visualization Best Practices: A Practical Guide For Getting The Most Out Of Your Data Viz

• The “Mixing” In Mixed Methods

• Link to new Triangulation article that Steph drafted

• Five Elements To Include In Your Reporting Style Guide

• Creating a Meaningful Funder Report

• 10 Tips For Making Your Evaluation Report More Accessible

• Tools To Write In Plain Language

Resources:

• Choosing the Right Data Visualization Tool

• 10 Tips for Designing Quality Reports!

• Top 10 Grammar Mistakes to Watch Out For In Evaluation Writing

• A Guide to Presenting Themes from Qualitative Data

  Eval Academy has the articles and resources you need as you embark on your evaluation journey. Through careful planning, thoughtful engagement, analytical competency and clear communication, your findings will resonate with your audience and further your impact.

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Are there other resources you think would be helpful – reach out to Eval Academy or comment below with your ideas for future resources.

Looking for more help? Check out the range of services Three Hive has available to help you build your evaluation.