Why evaluation is necessary

While nobody opposes certain forms of evaluation and improvement, the types of measurement and the intended objectives pose a persistent problem. When student bodies propose online evaluations available 24 hours a day during a period that can extend beyond the allocation of final grades, it is easy to understand the concerns of part-time lecturers, particularly when the teacher is a contract employee increasingly the norm [7].

Even when subject to formal agreements and proper management, there are loopholes in the appraisal and questions that arise from it. What about student objectivity, among other things? Are they evaluating the teaching or the teacher? Should we create evaluation committees consisting of peers, students, administrators, didactic pedagogues, human resource representatives?

The complexity of such a project is obvious and will resolve nothing without considering the intended objectives. Should we not take a long, hard look at these processes of evaluation, improvement, performance enhancement, etc. Using a terminology that smacks of business and management-speak rather than the passing on of knowledge, is evaluation not being dragged into the world of commercialism and competitiveness?

While it is fairly obvious how to evaluate an assembly line or the various stages in the production of a car or a washing machine, it is much more difficult to envisage the evaluation of something complex such as education. Teaching is an action as well as a profession, and is a human and interpersonal relationship at heart.

It calls for a wide range of the most subtle and abstract elements of human communication. The transmission of knowledge from the kindergarten to higher education relies on the most fundamental elements of interpersonal rapport: trust, complicity, mutual respect, collaboration, exchange, interaction.

If there is freedom of education and if teaching is subjective, how can it be evaluated? How can we measure the degree of spontaneity or involvement on the part of a student?

If learning is a voluntary act, as US author Leo Buscaglia said, how can we evaluate such an act? There are, in summary, two main forces at work behind this obsession with evaluation: 1 the disengagement of governments from the financing of universities; 2 the resulting entry of the universities into the world of cutthroat competition.

It is this same mercantile madness that causes university presses to publish without counting, because what really matters is the number of books to the exclusion of all else regardless of whether or not anyone reads them! Developing and implementing such an evaluation system has many benefits including helping you to:. As you set goals, objectives, and a desired vision of the future for your program, identify ways to measure these goals and objectives and how you might collect, analyze, and use this information.

This process will help ensure that your objectives are measurable and that you are collecting information that you will use. Strategic planning is also a good time to create a list of questions you would like your evaluation to answer. See Step 2 to make sure you are on track. Update these documents on a regular basis, adding new strategies, changing unsuccessful strategies, revising relationships in the model, and adding unforeseen impacts of an activity EMI, It describes features of an organizational culture, and explains how to build teamwork, administrative support and leadership for evaluation.

It discusses the importance of developing organizational capacity for evaluation, linking evaluation to organizational planning and performance reviews, and unexpected benefits of evaluation to organizational culture. If you want to learn more about how to institutionalize evaluation, check out the following resources on adaptive management.

Adaptive management is an approach to conservation management that is based on learning from systematic, on-going monitoring and evaluation, and involves adapting and improving programs based on the findings from monitoring and evaluation.

Downloaded September 20, from: www. Patton, M. Qualitative Research Evaluation Methods. Thomson, G. Measuring the success of EE programs. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Skip to main content. Evaluation: What is it and why do it? Table of Contents What is evaluation? Should I evaluate my program? What type of evaluation should I conduct and when? What makes a good evaluation? How do I make evaluation an integral part of my program? How can I learn more?

What is evaluation? Experts stress that evaluation can: Improve program design and implementation. Demonstrate program impact. Within the categories of formative and summative, there are different types of evaluation.

Which of these evaluations is most appropriate depends on the stage of your program: Type of Evaluation Purpose Formative 1. Needs Assessment Determines who needs the program, how great the need is, and what can be done to best meet the need.

For more information, Needs Assessment Training uses a practical training module to lead you through a series of interactive pages about needs assessment. Process or Implementation Evaluation Examines the process of implementing the program and determines whether the program is operating as planned.

Sharing performance information and evaluations allows you to learn from the challenges and successes of others and for others to learn from you. By taking the time and effort to commit to your government evaluation rules or guidelines, program managers can ensure that they have robust processes in place to understand how well programs are really performing and continuously improve.

An integral part of understanding how well your program has performed is having a monitoring and evaluation framework. A monitoring and evaluation framework is an integral part of understanding how well your program is performing.

The guide gives you the right structure and useful explanation of what is typically required in each section. It provides clarity for the team Creating a framework which outlines clear responsibilities for performance encourages accountability and clarity as it gives you, your program delivery team and managers a way to be very clear on their responsibilities for monitoring and evaluating performance from the outset. It will tell you how well your program is really doing Evaluation helps program managers measure how well their programs are really performing to achieve the desired outcomes.

It encourages continuous improvement By encouraging performance monitoring and evaluation within your organisation, including the creation of robust evaluation tools, you can create an environment focused on learning and the continuous improvement and success of your program.