My Garden of Thoughts: Reflection #26 -- Program Evaluation

 

https://www.acspri.org.au/online-winter-program-2021/fundamentals-program-evaluation-public-policy-online

    Program evaluation is important for several reasons, the largest one being positive and continual improvement. Many programs and organizations are turning towards a learning approach, where they gather data and use it to make ongoing adaptations to the programs so that it is gradually becoming more and more efficient. A lot of programs, however, lack the motivation or the funds to make evaluation a part of their goals. So the article discussed how evaluation needed to be "useful and worth its cost" by making sure it "not only assess program implementation and results, but also identify ways to improve the program evaluated" (pg. 8). As demands rise for programs to implement evaluation measures in their practice, it is important to equip management and staff members with the right information so they are able to meet these demands.

    The first thing program management teams need to do is find the type of evaluation they would like to implement. The types of evaluation approaches range from proactive to reactive, from short-term focused to long-term focused. The management team will need to decided what they want to study, how the data from that study will benefit them, and what they plan to do with the information they would receive from the type of evaluation. Many items can effect the data that program evaluators receive, so they must be mindful of the possible influencing factors that can skew data. Next, the plan for how to execute the evaluation measures will need to be put in place. The article for this week set forth a "design matrix" that would be helpful for evaluators, but we were also given another resource: "Jacob's 5-Teired Approach" to program evaluation. Both of these methods can make it easy for evaluators to identify what they want to look for in their programs and what they hope to see enacted in the future. After they decide what method they want to use, the management team will want to decide how they will use the information they gather. The goal of program evaluation is to create positive change, rather than remaining stagnant. Once information has been gained, it is time to put it towards making changes in a program that can further benefit the instructors and the participants. Along with enhancing the outcomes of the program, having reliable data to show the local community and stakeholders increases the chances of a program being funded even further. Credible evaluation measures and results will cause a program to have a greater impact on their staff and community as a whole.

    I believe program evaluation is not only important to figure out how to improve a curriculum, but how it also shows participants that their opinions and experiences matter. Usually the biggest complaints for companies or organizations is that they are blind to the issues that matter to the people participating in their programs. By using data from their own participants to improve the program, they are showing them that they take them and their thoughts seriously. I believe that displaying this kind of sensitivity increases a program's success even more because the public will notice the extra lengths they are using to reach more people in an even greater way. Once I graduate, I know it will be helpful for me to remember in my future career the importance of evaluation and how it can better any program I am a part of.

- E.