"This timely and comprehensive textbook covers theoretical and practical issues related to evaluation of programs, particularly social programs and projects, with an emphasis on viewing evaluation topics through a social justice, diversity, and inclusive perspective. It provides students with an equ
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al appreciation of both the art (for example engaging stakeholders, communicating across diverse settings, recruiting participants) and science (writing questions that matter, using credible designs, data analysis) of evaluation planning, implementation, and dissemination. This textbook will help students recognize that all populations are diverse, and that high quality evaluations need to pay attention to the diversity of all populations being served." (Publisher description)
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"The framework for selecting appropriate methods of stakeholder engagement is presented here as five steps that can help people who are commissioning or conducting research or evaluations to orient themselves to their context, research purposes and, ultimately, options for stakeholder engagement. Th
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e first steps include understanding the value of generalisable evidence (Step 1) and localised evidence (Step 2) for informing decisions. Step 3 recognises the socio-political implications of these different ways of thinking. Step 4 helps researchers identify a starting point by utilising a matrix that signposts various tools and methods. Choosing a starting point depends largely on the following: whether the research findings are for local or general application: Does the knowledge need to be generalisable to many different settings, or is knowledge to suit the local setting sufficient? And: How much clarity and consensus is assumed about what is known when starting out: Is prior knowledge that a study will build on clear and widely agreed before the work begins? Step 5 considers which stakeholders to engage with, and how, when planning and conducting research, depending on the circumstances." (Page 3)
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"Addresses the challenges of conducting program evaluations in real-world contexts where evaluators and their clients face budget and time constraints. The book is organized around the authors’ seven-step model that has been tested in workshops and practice environments to help the evaluation impl
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ementers and managers make the best choices when faced with real world constraints. The Third Edition includes a new chapter on gender equality and women’s empowerment and discussion of digital technology and data science." (Publisher description)
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"In this brochure – and in the ‘evaluiert’ textbook to which it refers – evaluation is understood as a scientific service that describes and valuates objects of evaluation (especially programmes and measures) for clarified purposes and on the basis of justified criteria. Moreover, the valuat
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ion carried out within the context of an evaluation is systematic, transparent and comprehensible, based on data and information gathered using social science methods. According to this understanding, persons must be specifically qualified for this activity. Evaluators follow a ten-step procedure when carrying out evaluations. These steps do not have to be followed rigidly, but must be adapted to the specific conditions of the specific evaluation at hand. This brochure presents the ten steps of the evaluation process, as a summary of the ‘evaluiert’ textbook. This brochure is also intended for people who wish to gain an overview of what evaluations are, for those who intend to carry out an evaluation or for those who are currently undergoing one. A detailed presentation with further explanations and numerous examples can be found in the ‘evaluiert’ textbook." Introduction, page 3)
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"The resource provides a guide for the expected costs of various evaluative activities in an Australian context. The main purpose for commissioners of evaluative activity to have a sense of the budget they should set aside for these activities. However, the guide also alerts potential users to the r
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ange of possible evaluative activities. 'Scale' in the guide refers to a combination of the following interrelated factors: how many people or other units of analysis are the 'target' of the program; whether the project is made up of a variety of sub-programs/projects that are distinct; the geographic spread of the program; the range of key evaluation questions that need to be answered and the range of data collection methods that this implies; whether the evaluative activities will include any 'hard-to-reach' populations; whether the evaluation will involve particular skill-sets, e.g. culturally sensitive evaluation team members." (https://www.betterevaluation.org)
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"In order to build good international relationships, Public Diplomacy (PD) requires a precise and complete understanding of who and what makes up a country’s image. However, previous research lacks a theoretical and methodological framework that allows for the systematic collection and analysis of
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the opinions of foreign publics to analyze the whole picture of a country. This study discusses the concept of public opinion and country image formation and takes into consideration different measurement models. On this basis, a new, innovative, integrative country image listening and measurement instrument for public diplomacy is introduced. The new model integrates different components of country image and highlights the importance of formative and summative evaluation, while considering contextual factors influencing country image formation. This instrument allows the strategic analysis of how public diplomacy communication and various publics contribute to the formation of country images. We demonstrate the value of the integrated country image measurement instrument by analyzing the Swiss country image via a multimethod approach, principally through analyzing and integrating data from public opinion survey studies, international news coverage and Google Trends as a way to assess the international perception of a country. First, on the output level, we analyze high reach media outlets in five countries (Germany, France, Italy, UK, and US) with a codebook that allows for analysis of the news agenda about Switzerland in the countries abroad with respect to the five country image dimensions. Second, on the outcome level, we use a survey study in the five countries, combining a standardized instrument for measuring country image with open survey questions about general associations, strengths, weaknesses and recalled news media surrounding Switzerland. In addition, we use structural equation modeling to calculate the value drivers of the Swiss country image, to find out what the key components that shape the country image dimensions are. In order to look at conative outcomes, we further analyze google searches in the respective countries, as trace data can give empirical proofs for the statements of respondents and bring valuable insights on digital media as a new information source. Finally, we analyze the overall country reputation in each of the countries and align the results with the content analysis and survey studies. The study gives public diplomacy actors valuable insights into the use of mixed method approaches when measuring country images and exploring the importance of “listening” and so giving special attention to different types of publics, units and research methods." (Abstract)
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"Systemic evaluation design continuously addresses six questions: 1. What are the intervention purposes? 2. What is the scope and focus of the intervention and evaluation? 3. What ought to be the consequences of the evaluation and what evaluation purposes promote those consequences? 4. What are the
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criteria (or values) that should underpin the judgment of merit, worth and significance? 5. What questions inform the collection of data so that judgments can be made using those criteria? 6. How can the evaluation be feasible? A systemic approach can be summarised as: understanding inter-relationships, engaging with multiple perspectives and reflecting on boundary choices. Systemic evaluation design flows from three key principles: 1. Systemic evaluation design is a process and a product. Evaluation design is a process that occurs throughout the evaluation, not just a product of the first stage of an evaluation. 2. Systemic evaluation design focuses on consequences. And by that I mean the consequences of the evaluation. Some might call it outcomes. 3. Systemic evaluation design emphasises what to leave out rather than what to put in. It is not possible to include everything that happened in the intervention, nor possible to include every single perspective or viewpoint or framing of the intervention." (Page ii)
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"Demystifying the evaluation journey, this is the first evaluation mentoring book that addresses the choices, roles, and challenges that evaluators must navigate in the real world. Experienced evaluator and trainer Donna R. Podems covers both conceptual and technical aspects of practice in a friendl
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y, conversational style. She focuses not just on how to do evaluations but how to think like an evaluator, fostering reflective, ethical, and culturally sensitive practice. Extensive case examples illustrate the process of conceptualizing and implementing an evaluation--clarifying interventions, identifying beneficiaries, gathering data, discussing results, valuing, and developing recommendations. The differences (and connections) between research, evaluation, and monitoring are explored. Handy icons identify instructive features including self-study exercises, group activities, clarifying questions, facilitation and negotiation techniques, insider tips, advice, and resources." (Publisher description)
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"Queremos entender la comunicación y el acceso a la información como medios para la conquista de otros derechos. Hay innumerables rutas que podríamos tomar para llegar a este destino; la elegida acá es la que entiende la comunicación como un ecosistema complejo que debe estar imbricado en la co
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ncepción, ejecución y retroalimentación de las políticas públicas. Piense en una política pública cualquiera. En una democracia, ¿cuál es el momento T0 de esta política pública? La respuesta es el proceso electoral. Es allí donde la sociedad decide cuáles propuestas quiere ver implementadas y cuáles no. ¿Hay comunicación en esta etapa? ¿Y el momento T1? Una vez electos, los tomadores de decisiones deben empezar el proceso de planificación de las políticas que van a implementar. De nuevo, ¿está presente la comunicación aquí? Y continuemos… T2: aprobación legislativa. T3: implementación/ejecución. T4: monitoreo y evaluación. T5: retroalimentación y reinicio del ciclo electoral. En cada una de las etapas del diseño e implementación de una política pública cualquiera, hay palabras clave presentes: información, participación, diálogo, empoderamiento, mitigación de riesgos, corrección de rumbos, rendición de cuentas… En todos estos quehaceres hay robustos aspectos comunicativos y de acceso a la información. A estas alturas, usted, lector juicioso, se estará preguntando: ¿por qué todo este esfuerzo para subrayar lo obvio? Y es aquí donde reside el segundo pilar de esta caja de herramientas y estrategias: aunque parezca evidente, la comunicación, comprendida en su complejidad, diversidad y amplitud, debe estar incorporada en la ruta integral de las políticas públicas; cambiar este escenario es central para la eficiencia misma de las políticas que buscamos implementar." (Introducción, página 8-9)
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"This text provides a solid foundation in program evaluation, covering the main components of evaluating agencies and their programs, how best to address those components, and the procedures to follow when conducting evaluations. Different models and approaches are paired with practical techniques,
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such as how to plan an interview to collect qualitative data and how to use statistical analyses to report results. In every chapter, case studies provide real world examples of evaluations broken down into the main elements of program evaluation: the needs that led to the program, the implementation of program plans, the people connected to the program, unexpected side effects, the role of evaluators in improving programs, the results, and the factors behind the results. In addition, the story of one of the evaluators involved in each case study is presented to show the human side of evaluation." (Publisher description)
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"Evaluation: A Systematic Approach is the best-selling comprehensive introduction to the field of program evaluation, covering the range of evaluation research activities used in appraising the design, implementation, effectiveness, and efficiency of social programs. Evaluation domains are presented
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in a coherent framework that not only explores each, but recognizes their interrelationships, their role in improving social programs and the outcomes they are designed to affect, and their embeddedness in social and political context. Relied on as the “gold standard” by professors, students, and practitioners for 40 years, the new Eighth Edition includes a new practical chapter on planning an evaluation, entirely new examples throughout, and a major re-organization of the book’s content to better serve the needs of program evaluation courses." (Publisher description)
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"Evaluation Practice for Collaborative Growth highlights the approaches, tools, and techniques that are most useful for evaluating educational and social service programs. This book walks the reader through a process of creating answerable evaluations questions, designing evaluation studies to answe
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r those questions, and analyzing, interpreting, and reporting the evaluation's findings so they are useful and meaningful for key stakeholders. The text concludes with a devoted to the shifting landscape of evaluation practice as it faces complex systems and issues that are shaped by society. Additionally, the author provides a list of knowledge and skills needed to adapt to a changing landscape and encourages organizations to use evaluation as a mechanism for learning and adapting to change. Her orientation toward community-based approaches and social justice prevail throughout the book's content and align well with a reader's desire to be inclusive and accountable in programing efforts. Nonprofit leaders, social science professionals, and students will find this book helpful for understanding basic program evaluation concepts, methods, and strategies." (Publisher description)
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"The Evaluating C4D Resource Hub houses a growing collection of the best available guides, toolkits, tools and methods to use for research monitoring and evaluation (R,M&E) of Communication for Development (C4D) initiatives. The Hub is structured around two combined frameworks: C4D Evaluation Framew
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ork is an approach. It describes the values and principles that guide our decisions in C4D. The BetterEvaluation Rainbow Framework is a structure. It organises the practical tasks into seven categories or 'clusters' and provides options. The goal of the Evaluating C4D Resource Hub is to find the right kinds of options, tools and resources that suit your practical needs and match the approach you want to take." (www.betterevaluation.org/en/C4D-Hub)
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