Evaluation

Evaluation is the structured interpretation and giving of meaning to predicted or actual impacts of proposals or results. It looks at original objectives, and at what is either predicted or what was accomplished and how it was accomplished. So evaluation can be formative, that is taking place during the development of a concept or during a seminar, with the intention of improving the value or effectiveness of the proposal of the project. It can also be assumptive, drawing lessons from a completed action of the project or a finished seminar.

Focuses of reflection

Goal Achievement

Group: Regarding the aimed interaction and cooperative learning in the group
Topic: The coverage of the foreseen topical aspects
Individual: Learning/development goals (in particular competency development, see below)
Process: The proceeding of the collective learning process

Methodology

The choice of methods and their mix
The ability of facilitators to implement their methodological concept
Process moderation

Content

Coverage of the necessary thematical aspects in a satisfactory deepness
Inclusion of knowledge from the field participation/citizenship/democracy and how it was connected to the goal of the training

Space/Context

Facility: Opportunity to learn, to cooperate, to meet, to feel well accommodated
Group: Opportunity and ability to involve, interact, relate to the other learners
Individual needs: Possibility to satisfy individual needs inside and outside the scheduled activities: social, cultural/spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional
With special attention to special needs
Inclusion of the local environment: in seminar work, in topical aspects

Competency development

Participant's acquisition of competencies
Participant's development towards feeling self-empowered and their ability to democratic participation
Your acquisition of competencies as a facilitator

Management

Event management, logistics, problem-solving
Cooperation within the facilitation team

Mixing methodologies for reflection

Take care for a range of different ways to assess and interpret the needed data - the findings and evaluation from your participants. The principle of method mix is valid as well for evaluation. Offer your participants variation in terms of

Method Mix: Reflection and Evaluation

Style

Choose appropriate methods for your target group

Confidentiality:

Anonymous, half-public, or public

Group Relation

In a plenum, in other collaborative ways, or in individual work

Addresses different senses

Individually speaking, dialogue, writing, or moving

Quantitative or qualitative?

How deep should or needs your evaluation go? When you want to know how your participants feel, you ask them to show you “thumb up/down”. Afterwards you know that ten persons feel well and three of them not so well. Or you ask detailed qualitative questions, with which you find out why they feel themselves like that or what they need to feel better. You use a quantitative and a qualitative method – both of them are all right, when they suit the situation, they often complement each other.

Documentation of the Results

Choosing your method you should also consider the form, in which you need results. Language, pictures, photos… Many things are possible and they can complete a particular situation or also contrast it. It is important with most methods to formulate a question as concretely as possible.

As self-evaluation is crucial for independent learning, we include here as well methods, that help indicviduals to document learning outcomes, inspirations, insights in and individual way.

Selected Methods and Articles

Evaluation Methods

An overview over different methods for evaluation for evaluation in between and at the end of a learning process.

Reflection and Evaluation

Reflection and evaluation are inherent parts of the educational processes. They both can be divided into categories: within the facilitators’ team and between the facilitators’ team and the participants. Here we offer definitions for both of these terms.

Facilitator: Self-Assessment

Here you can find a self-assessment checklist for facilitators.

Checklist: Self-assessment Working Culture

A team of facilitators is diverse in terms of their preferences and working style. This checklist helps you to reflect your working style and to talk in your team about your personal preferences.

Navigation:

After

Evaluation

Example: Aquarium

A cooperative evaluation in a training. Each participant marks his or her fish. Near the surface means +, at the ground means -.

Evaluation is the structured interpretation and giving of meaning to predicted or actual impacts of proposals or results.

Our Handbooks

E. Heublein, N. Zimmermann

Holistic Learning

Second Handbook for Facilitators: Read more

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