Valuing the Results
Evaluating what has been achieved by a course or a programme of development and whether it was value for money is, of course, an important activity.
There is a danger that it can become, however, a very critical and reductionist process placing too strong an emphasis on what can be ‘objectively’ measured.
This can mean reducing ‘what counts’ to what can be measured as opposed to what needs to be valued and sustained.
Seeing Where You Are Now
The approach I take to evaluation is to conduct a rigorous but collaborative and appreciative inquiry into:
- What has worked well?
- what has had a positive impact on the participants?
- What difference is the learning making to their work?
- What life/learning did this programme give rise to?
- How can that be reinforced for the participants?
The questions that need to be framed and how the information will be collected will depend on the needs of the ‘stakeholders’ – participants, organisers, sponsors.
It is a process that should be valued and not feared and seen as a valuable part of the process of learning from the conduct of the Programme.
Showing how a course or programme process is ‘alive’ and what generated that ‘aliveness’ is the work of what I would call an (e)Valuation process.
Is evaluation part of your process?
Is it built into the course or programme or an afterthought?
Is the way it is done an important part of the experience?
Follow the link to show some of the ways we have helped to show the value of a course or a programme…
