Articles
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Encrypting and Anonymizing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in Raw Data
Data protection in the world of evaluation is a must, especially when handling personally identifiable information (PII). Want to learn how to safeguard your data effectively? Discover the essential steps, including encryption and anonymization, to ensure your PII is shielded from unauthorized access, all while staying compliant with regulations.
In defence of long reports.
It’s time to embrace long reports! This article confesses my love for lengthy reports. Why? Because they're more than just data – they're knowledge preservation. Long reports have a place in our world, serving multiple roles, from building capacity to promoting transparency. Learn more about the value of extensive reports in this article.
Data Visualization Applications: Bar Charts
In this first instalment of our Data Visualization Applications series, we'll guide you through the art of transforming raw data into compelling visualizations. We kick things off by delving into the power and simplicity of the bar chart. By following these steps and best practices, you'll elevate your charts to ensure your data speaks clearly and convincingly. Stay tuned for more insights and techniques in our Data Visualization Applications series.
How we built capacity for evaluation processes
Much of the work as an evaluator involves conducting evaluations for clients; this article describes our experience of working with an organization to help them become their own evaluation experts. Within this article, we cover the key evaluation concepts we shared with our client and highlight our own learnings from this process.
Survey Design Part 1: Planning for your survey – A review of Designing Quality Survey Questions (2019) by Robinson and Firth-Leonard
The article discusses the book "Designing Quality Survey Questions" by Robinson and Leonard, offering guidance for beginners in survey design. It highlights understanding survey purpose, tool suitability, respondent characteristics, and cultural context, serving as a useful resource for both new and experienced survey designers. Part 2 will delve into crafting quality survey questions.
Podcast Review: Indigenous Insights: Episodes 1 and 2
The article reviews the podcast "Indigenous Insights: An Evaluation Podcast" hosted by Gladys Rowe, which explores Indigenous evaluation perspectives. Rowe, a member of Fox Lake Cree Nation, shares experiences through storytelling, promoting reflection and learning. The podcast highlights Indigenous community-centered evaluation, featuring discussions with experts about their experiences.
New Infographic: A Beginner’s Guide to Evaluation: A summary of introductory resources for new evaluators
This infographic is for those who are new to the field of evaluation and want to learn more about it. The purpose of the infographic is to provide newcomers with valuable resources that answer three important questions about evaluation. The infographic includes a one-page PDF with clickable links to relevant resources, making it easy for beginners to explore and learn more about evaluation.
Tools to Write in Plain Language
This article explains the concept of plain language, which aims to make writing easily understandable. It emphasizes the importance of clear communication and its relevance in knowledge translation. It also highlights reasons to write in plain language, such as addressing literacy challenges and making content accessible to a diverse audience. The article introduces tools, including AI writing tools like Chat GPT and readability tools, that assist in creating plain language content.
New Infographic: Research and Evaluation
This infographic is for those who want to understand the differences between research and evaluation, especially when they are used simultaneously in programs. The infographic shows the main steps of research and evaluation, points out the main ways they are different, and gives helpful advice for managing programs that use both approaches.
A picture is worth a thousand words: Photovoice
While traditional data collection methods like surveys, interviews, focus groups, and document reviews are well-known in evaluation, there are also innovative approaches like participatory and arts-based methods. One such method is Photovoice. While it might be daunting to embrace new techniques, it's important to recognize the value of methods like Photovoice in expanding our toolkit and enhancing evaluation practices.
SWOT Analysis: What is it and how do I use it?
A SWOT is a tool commonly used at the beginning of a new venture or as part of a new strategic planning process. A SWOT in evaluation could be used as a data collection tool or to present evaluation findings and create recommendations. This article outlines what a SWOT analysis is and how to complete one.
5 tips for ensuring interviewer safety.
In this article, we highlight the importance of ensuring interviewer safety to make the interview experience effective for collecting data and a positive experience for everyone involved!
Your information will be kept confidential: Confidentiality and Anonymity in Evaluation
“Confidential” and “anonymous” are words we use quite a bit in the evaluation world. But do you know what they actually mean? This article explores some of these concepts and provides some tips on how to maintain confidentiality.
So you want to be a CE: How to become a Credentialed Evaluator
In the first article of this installment, we covered what the CE designation is and is not, and talked a little bit about why you might get it. In this article, we will explore what you need to do to gain your CE designation.
So you want to be a CE: What is a Credentialed Evaluator?
At Three Hive Consulting & Eval Academy, we pride ourselves on being led by three Credentialled Evaluators. But what is a CE? What does it mean?
Common Evaluation FAQs
In this article, we provide the answers to some of your FAQs about evaluation including: Why do people conduct evaluations? Where can I find an evaluator? What makes a good evaluator? How can I get training in evaluation? What is the difference between research and evaluation? How much does an evaluation cost?
Five elements to include in your reporting style guide
A style guide is a time-saving tool that helps you be consistent in your formatting when creating client and public-facing products, from evaluation plans to reports and presentations. When working with a team, style guides ensure that team members are working efficiently as they create evaluation products.
What program managers need to share with their new evaluators
As a program manager or project lead, you may find yourself needing an evaluator. How do you get that evaluator oriented to the project? What information do they need? Let’s walk through it.
How to use Calendly to schedule interviews like a pro
In the evaluation world, scheduling can be a nightmare. This article describes how to use Calendly to schedule interviews in three simple steps.
The importance of articulating assumptions
In this article, we describe what assumptions are in evaluation, explain why you should document assumptions, and describe how to reflect on your assumptions when collecting and analyzing evaluation results. We also provide some practical examples of how to include assumptions in your own evaluations!