Concepts

Evaluation is the attempt to assess the value of an activity or project. It may be concerned with some or all aspects of the activity of the project, typically: how it was managed and made use of the available resources

• how well it achieved the planned outputs, for example: were they on time and as envisaged?
• whether these outputs had the required effect (or outcomes) on those intended to benefit
• whether its effects will last and continue to support long-term development education goals.

A distinction is often made between formative and summative evaluation.

The purpose of formative evaluation is to support project development and implementation at early stages of a project and to provide the information which is needed to identify possible problems and set strategies to adapt programmes accordingly. In summative evaluation the primary purpose is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a programme, and it is often carried out after a programme has been completed.

Monitoring is the process of overseeing the performance of an activity, usually through regular review of progress, the use of resources and planned outputs.

Effectiveness is the extent to which an activity achieves its long-term goals. For a particular activity effectiveness relates to how the outcomes support the broader goals.

To measure effectiveness is to assess the extent to which shifts have taken place that support our goals. It needs to weigh up evidence of both quantitative and qualitative data. The measurement of changes in values, attitudes, skills and behaviour may rely on comparisons and the ability to recognise and describe when change has taken place, as well as provide statistics on the changes.

Impact is the set of sustainable changes that result from the education activities, and the effects (intended or unintended) that a programme has on the community/target group. This can include promoting change in organisational cultures and building the capacity of organisations; these are long-term processes which require open and flexible approaches to change. Impact assessment must therefore be viewed as an ongoing process as opposed to an 'end of programme' activity.

Indicators are observable or measurable items that tell us about the performance or behaviour of the programme. Indicators provide the reference points against which the education activity can be judged. Each indicator requires a 'means of verification' that describes how the necessary information will be collected.

Process indicators (or Performance indicators) show whether the activities that were planned are actually being carried out and carried out effectively.

Impact indicators assess progress towards objectives, and what effect the work has had on the different groups of people affected by the work.

Learning outcomes are a form of qualitative indicator that enable us to plan what learners will understand and be able to do as a result of an input; we can also use learning outcomes to help foster dispositions (values and attitudes) through the learning that takes place. Learning outcomes enable us to measure the anticipated (planned) learning and unanticipated (hopefully value-added!) learning that has taken place and enables us to improve performance.