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Return to 'Toolkit' Structure: Ten features of evaluation5 Evaluation PerspectivesThere are a variety of uses or purposes for undertaking an evaluation including: internal, external, political, pragmatic, policy and practical reasons. Eleanor Chelimskey (Thoughts for a new Evaluation Society, Evaluation, 3 (1), 1997, pp 97-109) distinguishes between what she calls evaluation perspectives. CSET refers to these as ‘uses’ or purposes for evaluation. These evaluation perspectives are:
Each perspective or purpose requires the evaluator to gather specific types of data and to analyse and discuss the evidence collected for a particular audience. The perspective or purpose of the evaluation influences what is relevant and useful. It is likely that an evaluation plan will include the full range of approaches to evaluation; however, individual evaluations will not always address each evaluation perspective. In other words, each evaluation undertaken will serve, to varying degrees, the needs of different audiences. Using the RUFDATA planning framework allows you to work through the core questions and considerations and ensure that your plan addresses the three main perspectives or purposes of evaluation.
AccountabilityA range of audiences may be interested in your evaluation, each for their own purpose. Some of the questions you may want to consider include:
DevelopmentOne of the personally motivating and exciting reasons for evaluation is to learn more about and understand the nature of the work you undertake. Evaluation is a valuable learning process, not only with respect to the impact your work has had on participants, but also in terms of how you work. The developmental perspective of evaluation will often generate insights and illuminate good practice which you may want to share within your institution as well as externally. See section 9 for evaluation dissemination ideas. KnowledgeArguably all evaluation activity extends the knowledge of those involved in the evaluation. Evaluation for knowledge refers to ways in which evaluation findings contribute to policy and research agenda. This might be a specific aim for some evaluators, however, it is possible that the potential and actual contribution to knowledge is not the main focus of many Aimhigher Partnerships and HEI widening participation teams. Instead the contribution to knowledge is an additional and perhaps unanticipated outcome. For instance, findings from a targeted evaluation generate evidence that can be submitted in response to a consultation exercise, or the findings in a report are referred to in a literature review. These two examples illustrate a reactive response for evaluation evidence and a more proactive approach that ensure findings are disseminated effectively (see section 9 dissemination). Connecting and Collaborating evaluative activityThe intention would be that an evaluation plan can build up a larger picture of impact at different levels and over time utilising different kinds of data for different purposes, making connections between different kinds of evaluation (building up ‘layers’ of evidence). Connecting and collaborating evaluative activity can happen between an Aimhigher partnership and local HEI both of whom work together on delivery of activity to the same group of schools or participants. It can also happen between partnerships or HEI who are delivering the same type of activity e.g. mentoring, or an activity to a specific group of participants e.g. parents. Often, evaluations of complex interventions involve collaborations between many stakeholders to identify key questions. The results of evaluations can help us, as learners and teachers in HE, to:
Examples of connecting and collaborating activityThe following organisations may choose to work together on individual evaluations contribute to their evaluation plans. If you have an example of how you are working collaboratively on evaluation then please contact us.
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