Evaluation Workshops

he Strachan Foundation considers evaluation to be an essential tool for maintaining and improving project quality.  The sessions that are described below emerge from the interest of grantees to discuss topics related to evaluation that will help them improve service to the public each organization serves.  The sessions provide practical tools for immediate application to the projects organizations are implementing.  The sessions also promote the exchange of experiences and lessons learned among participants.

Sessions build concepts in a progressive way so it is very important that grantees participate in all sessions.  A product is expected of each session.  Support texts will also be provided for each session and will be sent to participants beforehand.

Two sessions will take place for each time participants gather, one session in the morning and another in the afternoon. Miguel Tello, executive director for the Strachan Foundation,  will facilitate the sessions and invite some presenters for selected topics.  In order to maintain an adequate group size and promote exchange among organizations, each organization is limited to 2 participants.

Sessions

Session 1: Analyzing the Context and Identifying the Problem

Objectives:

  1. Understand and share the context in which projects take place
  2. Clearly define the problem each organization seeks to address

Activities:

    • Participants share an analysis of the context in which their projects take place
    • Participants define the problem their organization seeks to address within the context of their mandate and mission

 Product:  Participants will give each person a summary of the context in which the organization operates and the identification of the problem their Project seeks to address.

Text: Converting the “monster” in an ally: evaluation as a tool for social management.

Session 2: Program Theory and Logic Models

 Objectives:

  1. Understand the concept of program theory
  2. Design a logic model of the project
  3. Understand and be able to explain the assumptions that guide the project as well as the link with activities, results, outcomes and impacts.

Activities:

    • Presentation of a logic model using an example
    • Participants build a logic model
    • Participants share their logic model

Product: logic model

Text: Karen Marie Mokate. Chapters 2 and 3 of Systems for Planning, Follow up and Evaluation CORDAID-Colombia.

Session 3: Indicators

Objectives:

  1. Design process and impact indicators for projects

Activities:

    • Describe process and impact indicators
    • Demonstrate how process and impact indicators are constructed and how they can be derived from the logia model
    • Teensmart presents an example of indicators
    • Participants construct impact and process indicators

Product: List of process and impact indicators for each project.

Text: What are indicators?

Session 4: Measurement Plan

Objectives: 

  1. Become acquainted with a variety of data collection and analysis methods for qualitative and quantitative studies
  2. Design a measurement plan applicable to the projects

 Activities:

    • Demonstrate how a measurement plan is constructed
    • Participants design a measurement plan

 Product: Measurement Plan

 

 Text: Making Measures Work for You: Outcomes and Evaluation. Grantcraft.

 

  Session 5: Data Analysis and Interpretation

Objectives:

  1. Analyze and interpret gathered data
  2. Make changes in a project based on data analysis

Activities:

    • Describe how to interpret quantitative data
    • Describe how to interpret qualitative data
    • Presentation of a case study
    • Participants bring their own project data and offer an  analysis for other participants

Product: Outcome table

 Text: Follow up and Evaluation: Instruments, Methods and Foci. World Bank.

 

 Session 6: Communication and Utilization of Results

Objectives:

  1. Understand the ethical aspects of the use and communication of results
  2. Develop an understanding of audience, the way to communicate with them and the use of the media
  3. Report project findings in a way that is relevant to diverse audiences
  4. Develop an understanding of how to use results for advocacy

Activities:

    • Discussion of ethical aspects of the use of results
    • Presentation about communicating results to diverse audiences
    • Presentation of an example by Paniamor
    • Describe several ways of reporting
    • Participants make brief presentations of results

Product: Presentation of outcomes

Text: Chapter 14: Power, Politics and Ethics. Utilization Focused Evaluation. Michael Quinn Patton.