Category: Evaluation

In this webcast from the The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University’s Evaluation Café series, Lori Wingate engages participants in a discussion of some common misunderstandings when it comes to program evaluation language and practice. The session explores some widely repeated evaluation mistakes and missteps, considers the causes and consequences of these problems, and generates ideas about… Read more »

The Dr. Peter Centre (DPC) is a not-for-profit health care facility based in Vancouver that provides an integrated model of HIV/AIDS health care and support services to mitigate the risks faced by marginalized persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Patrick McDougall, Communications & Evaluation Officer at the DPC, shared a glimpse into the evaluation work conducted by this organization. Driven by… Read more »

All too often, data is collected, regressions are run, and the analysis is printed out only to be shelved in the corner to collect dust. Data, big or small, is meaningless without a way to organize and present important findings within it. That’s where data visualization comes in. People comprehend data better through pictures than… Read more »

Selecting an appropriate evaluator can make or break the quality, value and usefulness of evaluation projects. Therefore it is critical to reflect on how to best select one of these individuals, regardless of whether the evaluator is internal to your organization or an external professional that you will hire. The University of Michigan offers a helpful resource… Read more »

Janet Madsen, Communications Coordinator at Positive Women’s Network (PWN), shares some words about her organization’s evaluation activities: “PWN appreciates the benefits evaluation can provide our organization. Internally, PWN is constantly gathering feedback from our members to learn how to serve them better. Over the last couple of months, we’ve also contracted external evaluators to better… Read more »

We’ve all heard the story: an innovative program was successful but had to stop because major or seed funding was discontinued. However, research in the area of program sustainability has shown that there are concrete steps you can take to increase the longevity of your programs. Learn what factors can increase the sustainability odds of your… Read more »

More and more, people in the homelessness sector are being asked to evaluate their programs and services. The Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) now has an Online Course in Program Evaluation. This course is designed to be most effective when an organization supports the involvement of a staff team, who will progress through the course… Read more »

Do you want to know if your HIV/AIDS initiatives and programs are working? Are they effective in meeting their goals and objectives? Evaluating community-based programs or initiatives can help us see how we are doing, make sense of it, and make necessary adjustments. It permits feedback to improve effectiveness and encourages accountability. How do we… Read more »

Family Health International has published a useful guidebook that simplifies some of the complexity involved in evaluating HIV/AIDS programs. Evaluating HIV/AIDS Programs: A Handbook for Program Managers and Decision Makers focuses on evaluating programs related to the sexual transmission of HIV. It was developed for the target audience of program managers and decision makers of service delivery… Read more »

Now you can organize all of your program planning and evaluation activities for free online! The Health Communication Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto has created an Online Health Program Planner (OHPP) that can help you make evidence-informed planning decisions. Highlights include project management tools that can assist you in ironing out… Read more »