Check out the top 10 articles + top 10 resources of 2023 from Eval Academy!
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This infographic is for those who want to understand the differences between research and evaluation, especially when they are used simultaneously in programs. The infographic shows the main steps of research and evaluation, points out the main ways they are different, and gives helpful advice for managing programs that use both approaches.
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It seems so simple – just ask a question! But many new evaluators or side-of-desk evaluators struggle with confidence in creating good evaluation questions. This article shares a few tips for writing evaluation questions as well as an example of how I go from a client meeting to drafting evaluation questions.
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This Logic Model template is for anyone who wants to make Logic Models that look professional and visually interesting. This Canva design template can be customized to create your own Logic Model, suited to your evaluation needs. The professional design of this template makes it easy to create a visually interesting Logic Model to present to clients, share on a website, or submit in a report.
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Eval Academy just released a new checklist for anyone who’s about to start a new evaluation project. Use this checklist to make sure you’re gathering the information necessary to support your evaluation endeavour. This checklist can act as a support tool for you to make sure you have the context you need when starting an evaluation.
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In this article, we explain what a Log Frame is (spoiler: it’s not a logic model), why they can be useful tools for program planning and evaluation outside of international development, and how to make one of your own.
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The evaluation world is full of jargon! In this article, we list our back-pocket definitions for some of the most confusing evaluation language.
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For those interested in calculating sample sizes by hand, or getting a better understanding of the math behind many sample size calculators, we outline the formulae used to calculate sample sizes.
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In this article, we briefly define sample sizes, their importance, and how to calculate them (or how to use a tool to calculate them).
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This evaluation facilitation series will highlight some of these facilitation activities and how I have applied them over the years. This article focuses on their “Making Metaphors” activity, along with some step-by-step instructions you can use to try it in your own evaluations.
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A look at how using different evaluation strategies or frameworks can help you to craft perfect evaluation questions.
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A blank page can intimidate any writer. The same goes for evaluators – that “evaluation questions” column in your evaluation plan may be daunting. Looking at examples of real-world evaluation questions just might inspire your own.
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Here at Eval Academy we are big fans of keeping evaluation simple and that includes how we present our evaluation timelines. These four simple ideas use basic software (Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) to create clean and easy to understand timelines.
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How can you plan and predict your evaluation activities when they are dependent on other activities? How can you ensure you have the information you need when you need it? This article provides 5 tips to answer those questions and help you create a plan that will actually work for your evaluation.
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Time and time again, we hear of people going through an evaluation only to be disappointed that the findings didn’t give them the answers they wanted. So I’m going to share three ways we help clients use the results from our evaluations.
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Program evaluations in a low resource setting can be challenging in that the program staff may not have the skills or capacity to see it through. However, agencies often require formal evaluation of their funded programs. As such, I offer strategies for success when evaluating within a LRS.
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Evaluation questions focus data collection. They are what our stakeholders need to answer. When they have the answer to these questions, they can tell their stories. But it can be challenging to write questions at just the right level, that will provide guidance for choosing methods and developing data collection tools, and will actually yield the information to satisfy stakeholders.
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Whether due to global pandemics, restricted travel budgets, or stakeholders flung across the world, evaluators should be prepared to facilitate virtual meetings or sessions. We've taken the guesswork out of how to facilitate a great virtual session and have rounded up our best tips and tricks.
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So you landed an evaluation contract and the first meeting date is set. Here are some pointers for kicking your evaluation off on the right foot.
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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.
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