Eval Academy's Top 10 Posts and Resources of 2023

Check out the top 10 articles + top 10 resources of 2023 from Eval Academy!

Survey Question Types

Surveys are one of the most commonly used data collection tools in an evaluator’s toolbox, and for good reason! There are so many different ways to ask questions in a survey, from multiple choice questions to visual analogue scales and image choice. This article highlights some options to help you think outside the (check)box for your next evaluation survey!

Data Collection, Evaluation is my main job, I do some evaluation, I'm new to evaluationBonnie LakustaNovember 28, 2023data collection, data, quantiative, surveys, survey designComment

Incentives for participation in evaluation

In this article, we discuss different incentives for participation, explore the biases that offering an incentive can introduce, and guide you in deciding whether to offer an incentive, including what form and value that incentive should be.

Data Collection, I do some evaluation, Evaluation is my main jobBonnie LakustaOctober 31, 2022evaluation, evaluation methodology, bias, data collection, participation incentives, evaluation ethics, ethicsComment

The “mixing” in mixed methods

Data integration is a way of merging these data from different sources through mixed methods. In this article, we discuss how qualitative and quantitative data can be integrated at the study design level, methods, or analysis level.

Data Collection, Analysis, Evaluation is my main job, I do some evaluationEyerusalem TesseraMarch 13, 2022data analysis, data wrangling, data collection, qualitative data, quantitative data, mixed methods, triangulation, data integrationComment

Data Dictionary: the what, why and how

It is ideal to have a data dictionary whenever you have quantitative data that will be used and shared by multiple people or groups. Without precise definitions, it is very easy to arrive at different results while using the same dataset. In this article, we focus on how evaluators can (and should) clarify details about the data being used for evaluation. In other words, how and why build an evaluation-specific data dictionary.

Reporting, Data Collection, Evaluation is my main job, I do some evaluationEyerusalem TesseraOctober 12, 2021data analysis, data collectionComment

Why you shouldn’t rely on default survey platforms to give you all the answers

Don’t get us wrong, surveys are useful tools and we’re a fan of any survey platform that makes it easier to use the results. But what about when you want to scratch beneath the surface or present a legible graph that will convince the program director or funder that action needs to be taken? This is where the canned survey tools start to falter.

Data Collection, Reporting, I do some evaluation, Evaluation is my main jobAlecia KallosApril 21, 2021data collection, data viz, evaluation reports, effective reportingComment

Arts-Based Data Collection Techniques

We share the most salient points from a recent CES webinar about using art as a data collection method, presented by Jennica Nichols and Maya Lefkowich (of AND Implementation). Also, we expand upon how we've used arts-based data collection techniques here at Eval Academy and Three Hive Consulting and how we could be using them in the future.

Data Collection, I do some evaluation, Evaluation is my main jobAlecia KallosMay 8, 2020art, data collection, qualitative data, technologyComment

The Components of an Evaluation Plan

Each evaluation is different. You have different stakeholders, different topics, different timelines and different end goals. Some evaluation plans will be simple, and others more complex. When developing your evaluation plan, you can take a mix and match approach to its composition.

Here are some common components of evaluation plans. Your plan might need just a few, or it may need all of them.

Planning, I do some evaluation, Evaluation is my main jobShelby CorleyDecember 9, 2019theory of change, stakeholders, ethics, support use, evaluation planning, evaluation plan, data collection, evaluation questions, logic model, planning, reportingComment

Visual Storytelling Through Videos

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to AEA’s annual evaluation conference this year (I chose a Mai Tai on the beaches of Maui instead). However, one of the wonderful things about the Internet is that I was able to feel like I was part of the conference by following #eval19 on Twitter. So what was my one big takeaway through the Twitter lens? Of course, it came from the evaluation guru himself, Michael Quinn Patton (MQP) – “Evaluating transformation means transforming evaluation.”

Transforming Evaluation, Support Use, I do some evaluation, Evaluation is my main jobKristy MadsenNovember 25, 2019data collection, data viz, reporting, storytelling, technologyComment

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