This article aims to introduce you to Theory of Change (ToC) and is written for those who may have heard of this tool before but aren’t quite sure as to what it is and how it can be useful for evaluation.

You might have noticed how there seem to be quite a few evaluation tools doing very similar things. It’s no surprise that these tools can sometimes be confused, and the lines can be blurred around when and how to use them. To help you on your way to deciding which tool is best suited to your evaluation, we’ve selected a few of our favourites to compare and contrast.

As a program manager or project lead, you may find yourself needing an evaluator. How do you get that evaluator oriented to the project? What information do they need? Let’s walk through it.

The evaluation world is full of jargon! In this article, we list our back-pocket definitions for some of the most confusing evaluation language.

The Likert scale is one of the more commonly used rating scales in surveys. As evaluators, we should know a thing or two about it, and how to navigate some of the decisions involved in using a Likert scale.

Recognizing that equitable evaluation is an emerging area of work, this article aims to add to the growing discussion. While it does not include an exhaustive list of issues and strategies, it will help you introduce some changes to your evaluation practice.

Is consent always needed? How do I obtain consent? In this article, we discuss the principles and considerations involved in obtaining consent for evaluation data collection.

As an evaluator, a big part of our role is to collect data. Sometimes that data comes from administrative databases that require data sharing agreements, but sometimes it comes from people, who need to consent to sharing their information (or data) with you. So let’s talk about what consent is (and isn’t).

When I hear “we need a dashboard,” what I hear is “we need relatively current information that we can quickly understand and trust, and we want it on one page.” But a dashboard may or may not be the best way to fulfill that need. Here, I’ll clarify what a dashboard is, and what it isn’t, then provide a checklist you can use to decide if your program or organization needs one.

A good RFP will yield good proposals. Unclear RFPs with overly burdensome submission requirements may drive away highly qualified firms or consultants, and what submissions do come may miss your intended mark. If you’re creating an evaluation RFP, include these elements to get better submissions.

In this post, we describe how Three Hive Consulting supported the evaluation of a home health monitoring project for patients with chronic conditions.

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.

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.

This post explores how we at Three Hive Consulting worked with REACH Edmonton Council and other agencies to evaluate a unique initiative called Bridging Together. You’ll see how they developed and carried out an evaluation plan that yielded actionable information.

The evaluation profession is not immune to structural racism - but what can we do about it? Caldwell and Bledsoe propose systemic changes to our professional organizations in evaluation to help unravel these systems of oppression.

On a summer morning, after several attempts to interview clients for an evaluation project, I arrived with a social worker at an overnight shelter. Finally, we had located Jules, who wanted to share her experiences with the program I was learning about. When we approached her and her friends, we noticed that she was sipping from a bottle of vodka.

When you are asked to conduct an evaluation for a program it can be like shopping for a bike - there are various types, sizes and budgets. Designing an evaluation that meets your stakeholders’ needs begins with a scoping process. There are a number of questions that you should ask to scope an evaluation, but ultimately scoping an evaluation focuses on purpose.

Sometimes online resources just aren’t enough. Some questions call for discussion, for a second opinion – a coach. That’s why Eval Academy is launching its new evaluation coaching service.

Evaluators have several options for transcribing audio from interviews, including voice-to-text software, outsourcing, and doing it ourselves. If you are taking the DIY approach, here are four tips to get you transcribing like a pro!

Evaluations are inherently political, which means they are fraught with ethical choices and decisions along the way. There have been many instances throughout my career where I faced an ethical dilemma - here are some things that have helped me silence the devil on my left shoulder and figure out the right thing to do.