Simple Evaluation Templates: Gathering Data for Program Improvement & Impact Reporting

1. Simple Evaluation Templates: Gathering Data for Program Improvement & Impact Reporting Camping & Environmental Education Institute2/25/15 Jeff Buckley, Jennifer Cantwell, Casey Mull, Whitney Cherry, Julie Dillard, Nicole Crawson

2. Topics we will cover….. • What and Why Do You Evaluate? • Survey Templates • Impact Statements • Data Tabulation Templates • Tools for creating Surveys • Questions

3. You will leave with…. • Resources for developing effective survey questions • Survey Templates • Resources/tools for collecting and analyzing data • Sample impact statements

4. Disclaimers • Adapted from previous presentations by Jeff Buckley, Jenna Daniel & Casey Mull. • Materials informed by best practices from Extension Professionals at University of Florida. • Resources developed in collaboration with Nick Fuhrman, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Graduate Coordinator, Dept. of Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communication, UGA. • Consult with your state’s Evaluation Specialist for additional, more advanced, guidance on Program Evaluation. • We welcome your constructive feedback as we work to provide useful resources in the area of Program Development.

5. Why is it important? • As a result of shrinking state budgets, the need to effectively document program impacts is more critical than ever. • Many states do not have a full time Evaluation Specialist. • County Agents and State Specialists must develop their own evaluation instruments. • Many County Agents and State Specialists may not feel qualified or confident enough to develop their own instruments and/or to tabulate and report data.

6. Evaluation Templates • Purse Strings and Heart Strings • Qualitative Data – Domain Analysis • Post-test Only • Retrospective Post then Pre • Quiz-like, post-test only • Audience Poll Documentation Form

7. What and Why? • Why do you want to gather data? • What types of programs to you provide? • What do you want to know? • What will you do with the data? • Who will you share data with? • What are your goals and objectives?

8. Things to consider • Who is your audience? • Process Evaluation – Internal Use • Outcome Evaluation – External Audience • How will you share the results? • Impact Statement • News Article • Journal Article – Be sure to check with IRB! • Other

9. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Research oversight committee charged with ensuring that human subjects research is conducted in compliance with the applicable federal, state, and institutional policies and procedures.

10. When is IRB-approval needed? • When using results for: • Research • You plan to generalize the information learned • Scholarly article or report • Not required for: • Evaluation • Internal use – program improvement, etc. • Reports to: Funders, stakeholders, media, impact statements, news articles, etc.

11. Types of Outcomes • Short-term • New knowledge, increased skills, changes in attitude or values • Intermediate • Modified behavior • Long-term • Improved condition, altered status

12. What can our surveys measure? • Short-term Outcomes • Knowledge • Increase in knowledge • Demonstration of knowledge • Attitude or Values (behavioral intent) • As a result of intervention, I plan to…. • Skills

13. Camp & EE Surveys Let’s take the survey! Let’s look at the results!

14. Camp Surveys - Impact Examples

15. Camp & EE Surveys • What are we measuring? • How can we share the data? • Other examples: • Herpetology – Survey • Tidelands – Survey & Data Tabulation Spreadsheet

16. Educational Club Meeting Surveys • Survey Examples • Career Awareness & Exploration: Government and Public Administration field • States of Matter: Physical vs. Chemical Changes • Data Tabulation Spreadsheets • Impact Statements • Different type – 1 or more constructs, combining questions

17. Project Achievement Surveys • Survey Examples • Junior / Senior Project Achievement • This survey also includes Likert questions, constructs • Data Tabulation Spreadsheets – in progress! • Impact Statements – in progress!

18. A little more advanced…. Constructs: • Multiple questions designed to measure the same concept • Helps: • identify poorly worded questions • Validity and reliability (negatively worded questions)

19. Examples of Constructs (draft stage) Junior/Senior Project Achievement Survey: • JOBS – better prepared to apply for jobs • MASTERY – correctly identify best practices in public speaking • CONFIDENCE – indicate increase in confidence in public speaking • GENEROSITY/BELONGING – project achievement gave me the opportunity to value and practice service for others and to be part of a safe and inclusive community

20. Likert Style Templates • Standard Likert • Survey • Data Tabulation Spreadsheet • Retrospective Post-Then-Pre • Survey • Data Tabulation Spreadsheet

21. Likert Style Templates • The percentage of program participants who agreed that they were confident in their ability to develop measurable objectives increased from 38% before to 100% after the program • Overall respondents indicated they agreed they are more likely to get involved in their community as a result of the GPK Leadership Adventure weekend.

22. Points to Consider when Writing Likert Style Questions/Statements • Consist of a statement and a rating scale. • Need to conform to one rating scale. • One data point per question. • Is what you’re measuring important to the intended audience of the evaluation? • Good for older youth and adults.

23. Resources for Writing Questions • Verbs for Writing Measurable Objectives • Sample Rating Scales for Likert Questions

24. QUESTIONS??

25. To Access Templates, go to…www.georgia4h.org/evaluationresources For more information contact:University of Georgia, State 4-H Office Jeff Buckley, jbuckley@uga.edu Jennifer Cantwell, jecantw@uga.edu State 4-H Office – 706-542-4444

26. For more information contact:University of Florida Extension Whitney Cherry, cherryw@ufl.edu Julie Dillard, juliepd@ufl.edu Nicole Crawson, ncrawson@ufl.edu