N. Zimmermann/ H. Fahrun
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. 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
During Planning facilitators were considering goals, contents, methods, topic, needs and the environment. From time to time it's necessary to check if the process is still inline with the plans or if priorities have changed or needs are different, or a process should take a general different direction.
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 at a satisfactory depth
- 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
|
Concept: The Method Mix
The quality of results depends on the methodology of data collection for reflection. In particular, a range of different ways to assess and interpret the needed data should be included, according to the principle of method mix.
Method Mix:
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 must 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 such a way or what they need to feel better. You use a quantitative and a qualitative method – both of them are effective based on the situation, and often complement each other.
Documentation of the Results
When 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 also include methods her that help individuals to document learning outcomes, inspirations, and insights in an individual way.
Selected Methods: Individual Reflection and Assessment
An overview over different methods for evaluation in between and at the end of a learning process.
Ask participants to visualize their back activities like a project or the activity within a longer learning process. The vizualition will be made in form of a learning curve. The horizontal axis describes time, the vertical axis describes the feeling associated with the activity/project and the learning outcome.
Participants of a training or seminar document the aspects of a meeting that are most essential for their future activities. They remember these aspects and gain motivation after the meeting.
The method combines evaluation of the past activities with the future perspectives and the opportunities that appear through the gain of competences as a result of project work.
Portfolios help the participants to reflect on their way of learning and on Sustainable Development on a personal level. No one is going to look at it – it’s a personal (structured) diary. It will accompany the participant through their whole activity.
Bullet journalling is a creative methodology for how to structure notes and thoughts and how to save inspiration. Helpful for facilitators as for participants, for example in learning journals or notes.
The activity aims at evaluating the outcomes that the projects have had on the community as well as enabling participants to evaluate these outcomes from different perspectives.
Selected Methods for Group Evaluation
These methods are facilitating a collective process of reasoning. Therefore, they are less confidential, allowing the group to exchange or discuss their observations or findings.
With this method you can determine in a group which subjects you want to deal with and which project goal is for you crucial. Or you can identify the most important aspects of further planning in the team. You can also gather what you like in the subject, which organizational or content-based aspects of the project were most interesting.
With this method many different aspects can be quickly evaluated within a group in a transparent way.
This method aims at letting the participants conduct a small-scale survey among each other, having a vivid visual representation of the survey outcome and facilitating a discussion around the survey outcome.
Reflect on conflicts you had in your team and learn from it for future work.
The color diary is a creative tool which can be used for evaluation of the day throughout the training.
This activity stimulates creative reflection on the working process and can be easily adopted to reflect on or discuss any given topic.
Feedback is a method that was developed to improve the quality of interpersonal communication, in terms of relevance (giving relevant information) as well of moral quality (showing interpersonal respect). It is a skill that has to be improved upon and includes often very useful information. In order to gain from this information people need to develop the capacities to give and receive feedback.
This activity can be used during the last day of the training to create a lasting bond between the participants.
Self-Assessment of Facilitators
Checklists for a team of educators or for individual self-assessment.
Here you can find a self-assessment checklist for facilitators.
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.
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.
Inspiring Handbooks and Sources from the Community
Valued by You, Valued by Others
Improving the visibility of competences in Youthpass (and also in other contexts)
Download
Recognizing Learning in Youth Exchange
Youth Work Service, Léargas' handbook complementary to YouthPASS, with suitable methods as well for evaluation and competence assessments without using the YouthPASS
Download
Assessment and recognition in formal and non-formal learning in entrepreneurship education
An introduction not only for entrepreneurship education by the project EntreComp 360
Download
The Learning Curve
A guide to evaluation for youth organizations
Download
YouthPASS unfolded
Practical tips and hands-on methods to make the most of the Youthpass process edieted by SALTO and Jugend für Europa
Download
Assessing competences for democratic culture
Principles, methods, examples by Council of Europe
Download
Empower yourself
Self-assessment tool created by the French Scout and Guides movement
Download
Facilitation Step-by-step
Competendo Portfolio Tool for Facilitators
Download
Captain's Log
Competency-related portfolio tool
Download
Reflective Peacebuilding
John Paul Lederach, Reina Neufeldt, Hal Culbertson,
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies: Planning oriented on impact Download
Navigation:
After
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