A blank page can intimidate any writer. The same goes for evaluators – that “evaluation questions” column in your evaluation plan may be daunting. Looking at examples of real-world evaluation questions just might inspire your own.

Here at Eval Academy we are big fans of keeping evaluation simple and that includes how we present our evaluation timelines. These four simple ideas use basic software (Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) to create clean and easy to understand timelines.

How can you plan and predict your evaluation activities when they are dependent on other activities? How can you ensure you have the information you need when you need it? This article provides 5 tips to answer those questions and help you create a plan that will actually work for your evaluation.

When you are asked to conduct an evaluation for a program it can be like shopping for a bike - there are various types, sizes and budgets. Designing an evaluation that meets your stakeholders’ needs begins with a scoping process. There are a number of questions that you should ask to scope an evaluation, but ultimately scoping an evaluation focuses on purpose.

A recent study in the American Journal of Evaluation showed how three simple visual design principles could be applied to logic models to make them more effective and understandable. This article summarizes the findings of that study so you can improve your logic model.

Evaluations are inherently political, which means they are fraught with ethical choices and decisions along the way. There have been many instances throughout my career where I faced an ethical dilemma - here are some things that have helped me silence the devil on my left shoulder and figure out the right thing to do.

Program evaluations in a low resource setting can be challenging in that the program staff may not have the skills or capacity to see it through. However, agencies often require formal evaluation of their funded programs. As such, I offer strategies for success when evaluating within a LRS.

Through developing and delivering evaluation training, we know the value of short guides for translating concepts to practice. That’s why we developed this free resource that helps evaluators reflect on whether and how they are applying the Program Evaluation Standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation.

Recently I was asked by a client about an “evaluation literacy course” for its board. The client’s board members had just attended a strategic planning day and through that discussion felt they needed some “education on evaluation and metrics.” On one hand I thought “bravo, they want to know more about evaluation!”; on the other hand I thought “shit…., I’ve totally failed them as their evaluator – what have I been missing?”

Evaluation questions focus data collection. They are what our stakeholders need to answer. When they have the answer to these questions, they can tell their stories. But it can be challenging to write questions at just the right level, that will provide guidance for choosing methods and developing data collection tools, and will actually yield the information to satisfy stakeholders.

Whether due to global pandemics, restricted travel budgets, or stakeholders flung across the world, evaluators should be prepared to facilitate virtual meetings or sessions. We've taken the guesswork out of how to facilitate a great virtual session and have rounded up our best tips and tricks.

So you landed an evaluation contract and the first meeting date is set. Here are some pointers for kicking your evaluation off on the right foot.

This blog post explores augmented and virtual reality and how evaluators can use this technology. If you don’t know what VR is then keep reading – you may find some ideas for transforming your evaluation practice.

Each evaluation is different. You have different stakeholders, different topics, different timelines and different end goals. Some evaluation plans will be simple, and others more complex. When developing your evaluation plan, you can take a mix and match approach to its composition.

Here are some common components of evaluation plans. Your plan might need just a few, or it may need all of them.