COMING SOON!
The Evaluation Design Toolkit
Make Confident Evaluation Design Decisions.
You know there’s no one-size-fits-all way to design an evaluation. But with so many approaches, designs, and models to choose from, knowing what to use, when to use it, and how the pieces fit together can be challenging.
The Evaluation Design Toolkit takes the confusion out of evaluation design. Through practical guidance and real-world examples, you’ll explore commonly used evaluation approaches, designs, and outcome- and contribution-oriented models—and learn how to make intentional choices that fit your evaluation’s purpose and context.
This course is designed for early-career evaluators, professionals who plan or manage evaluations, and experienced evaluators looking to strengthen their practice. Rather than an advanced deep dive into one method, it gives you a practical, structured overview of your options and a decision-making process you can return to across different evaluations.
INTRODUCTORY PRICING
For a limited time, get two years of access to course content for just US$247.
What’s Included?
• Five practical, self-paced modules
• Two years of course access
• Real-world examples drawn from evaluation practice
• Interactive quizzes and reflection activities to reinforce your learning
• A downloadable course workbook to apply concepts as you go
• Additional resources for continued learning
• Access to the Eval Academy learning community
No need to memorize every evaluation approach. The goal is to help you understand your options and develop a practical process for making intentional, credible, and fit-for-purpose evaluation design decisions.
If any of the following sound familiar, this course is for you!
You want more confidence in designing evaluations
You want to make sense of the many approaches, designs, and models available
You’re unsure which opens best fit different evaluation purposes and contexts
You want to make more intentional, fit-for-purpose design decisions
You want to understand what works together and why
You want practical guidance to apply to real-world evaluations
Take advantage of our introductory pricing!
For a limited time only, get two full years of course access for just $247 USD.
What’s Included?
• Five practical, self-paced modules
• Two years of course access
• Real-world examples drawn from evaluation practice
• Interactive quizzes and reflection activities to reinforce your learning
• A downloadable course workbook to apply concepts as you go
• Additional resources for continued learning
• Access to the Eval Academy learning community
No need to memorize every evaluation approach. The goal is to help you understand your options and develop a practical process for making intentional, credible, and fit-for-purpose evaluation design decisions.
What’s Included?
What You’ll Learn
Through five practical modules designed to build your evaluation design skills, you’ll be able to distinguish between evaluation frameworks, approaches, designs and models; compare different options; and intentionally select and combine the elements that best fit your evaluation.
1. Build Your Evaluation Foundation
Get clear on the terminology that shapes evaluation design. Understand the different roles of evaluation frameworks and plans, approaches, designs, and outcome- and contribution-oriented models—and how these different components can work together.
2. Explore Evaluation Approaches
Explore how different approaches shape the orientation, priorities and practice of an evaluation, including: Developmental Evaluation • Utilization-Focused Evaluation • Principles-Focused Evaluation • Participatory Evaluation • Feminist & Gender-Responsive Evaluation • Culturally Responsive Evaluation. You’ll also explore different epistemologies and how assumptions about knowledge and evidence can influence evaluation design.
3. Navigate Evaluation Designs
Learn how different designs provide structure for answering different types of evaluation questions, including: Formative Evaluation, Summative Evaluation, RE-AIM, Appreciative Inquiry, Kirkpatrick Model, and Economic Evaluation. You’ll explore what each can help you understand, when it may be useful, and what to consider before selecting it.
4. Understand Outcomes & Contribution Models
Explore models that help evaluators understand what changed, how change happened, why it matters, and how a program may have contributed, including: Outcome Mapping • Outcome Harvesting • Contribution Analysis • Most Significant Change. Learn how these models offer different ways to capture outcomes, understand pathways of change, explore contribution, and generate meaningful learning.
5. Put It All Together
Bring your toolkit together and learn how to move from individual options to a coherent, fit-for-purpose evaluation design. You’ll work through how to consider your evaluation’s purpose, questions, context, intended users and uses, and interest holders; determine which tools add value; and make intentional decisions about what to use, combine—or leave out.
Is This Course For You?
YES—if any of these sound familiar:
You run (or are about to run) a program and need to evaluate it
You’ve been asked to design surveys, interviews, or focus groups
You want practical tools to confidently collect evaluation data
You’re looking for ethical, actionable guidance
You want to feel capable working alongside evaluators
You prefer an interactive, self-paced course you can fit into your busy schedule
What You’ll Learn
5 practical modules designed to build your skills step by step:
The Basics: Understand ethics, consent, and incentives. Learn how to choose the right methods for different populations.
Surveys: Design clear, ethical surveys with the right structure and questions.
Interviews: Write interview guides and prepare the right tools.
Focus Groups: Know when to use focus groups vs interviews — and how to run them effectively.
Arts-Based Methods: Explore creative, innovative ways to collect data in diverse settings.
By the end of this course, you’ll know how to choose, design, and implement data collection tools that meet your evaluation goals.
What’s Included
Self-paced learning with 2 years of access
11 interactive assignments and 6 quizzes
Downloadable templates and resources to use immediately
Optional assignment feedback from experienced evaluators
Access to the Eval Academy learning community
No jargon. No fluff. Just clear, practical guidance from trusted experts in evaluation.
Meet your instructor
Bonnie Lakusta, PhD
Credentialed Evaluator and Project Lead at Three Hive Consulting
Bonnie holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Alberta and has been with Three Hive since 2021. As a Credentialed Evaluator, Bonnie brings deep expertise in facilitation, change management, and quality improvement. She is passionate about delivering evaluations that are not only effective and actionable but also practical and relevant to real-world settings. Bonnie is known for crafting clear, memorable key messages that help clients confidently move from data to action.