What is program evaluation?
Program evaluation is a systematic method for collecting, analyzing, and using information to answer questions about a program, particularly to use for development and improvement or to determine effectiveness and efficiency.
Why do an evaluation?
Evaluation can:
- Help design a project or program
- Ensure program goals & objectives are being met
- Determine if allocated resources are yielding the greatest environmental benefit
- Identify what works well, what does not, and why
- Identify program areas that need improvement
- Inform management decisions regarding the program
- Examine and describe effective programs for duplication
- Report on progress and communicate a program’s value
What are the different types of evaluation?
- Outcome – Outcome evaluations include an examination of program processes and activities to understand how outcomes are achieved and how quality and productivity could be improved.
- Process – A process evaluation assesses the extent to which a program or process is operating as intended and identifies opportunities for streamlining or otherwise improving it. Process evaluations may also assess the extent to which program activities conform to statutory and regulatory requirements, Agency policies, program design or customer expectations.
- Formative – A formative evaluation is conducted early in the planning stages or early in implementation. It helps to define the scope of a program or project and to identify appropriate goals and objectives.
- Impact – Impact evaluations assess program effectiveness in terms of end results, including intended and unintended results. They may also assess the net effect of a program by comparing impacts with an estimate of what would have happened in the absence of the program.
How is evaluation different than research?
The primary purpose of evaluation is to provide timely and constructive information for decision-making about particular programs, not to advance more wide-ranging knowledge or theory. Accordingly, evaluation is typically more client-focused than traditional research, in that evaluators work closely with program staff to create and carry-out an evaluation plan that attend to the particular needs of their program.
How much does it cost?
The cost of an evaluation is entirely contingent upon the scope and nature of the evaluation activities and measures requested. The National Science Foundation’s “rule of thumb” about evaluation budgets is 10% of the total grant amount.
These answers were derived from the sources below – visit these sites for answers to other evaluation questions:
Frequently Asked Questions on Program Evaluation (University of Washington)
Frequently Asked Questions on Program Evaluation (LPC Consulting Associates)
Common Questions about Program Evaluation (U.S. EPA)