What is evaluation
This resource is designed to help service providers better understand the role of evaluation, how to contribute to meaningful data collection, and how evaluation findings can be used to improve services and outcomes for clients.
This resource covers:
- The purpose of evaluation – what evaluation is and why it is important.
- Types of evaluation – process evaluations, outcome evaluations, and economic assessments.
- Evaluation designs – experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental approaches.
- Data collection methods – client surveys, administrative data, case file analysis, interviews, and focus groups.
- Indigenous evaluation principles – best practices for culturally appropriate research.
You should use this resource as part of:
- Stage 1 of the workflow map, Plan before you start collecting data to clarify your evaluation purpose and scope
- Stage 2 of the workflow map, Create your project plan to select data sources and design data collection tools.
Read the full workflow map to understand where you should use each resource.