Project Support Area (Evaluation Plan)

It is significant to understand the many forms of evaluation that may be conducted during the course of a program's life cycle. Since there are many types of evaluation, evaluation techniques must be adapted based on what is being evaluated and the reason for the evaluation. Evaluations may be broken down into four categories: process, impact, result, and summative evaluation Program activities, quality, and audience reach may all be evaluated through the process evaluation. Questions such, "Has the project addressed the target group?" may be answered via process assessment. Evaluating the program's impact ensures that the results are relevant to the program's goals (QuestionPro, 2019). Analyzing the degree to which the program's goals (and sub-goals) have been met is what impact evaluation is all about. Evaluation of the program's impact is therefore conducted within a short time frame following the program's conclusion (often within six months) and continues for a longer period.

The primary purpose of an outcome evaluation is to quantify the intended results of a program over time. Therefore, the success of a program may be gauged by an evaluation of its outcomes. Outcome evaluation in programs that rely on peer support may look for changes in participants' emotional and physical health, their level of schooling and employment, and their willingness to ask for assistance. Changes are measured at least six months following the program's introduction for outcome evaluation. In addition to measuring the program's ultimate purpose, outcome evaluation may also be used to gauge how well the program is meeting its stated goals over time (QuestionPro, 2019). It is important to recognize that outcome assessment in peer-based programs is not always feasible or necessary. Before you can assess the efficacy of your plan, you must identify whether it is being executed as planned and if it is reaching the target audience. It is pointless to try to evaluate the success of your program if you are unsure about its purpose, structure, programming, and audience. Therefore, for this reason, process evaluation will come first in my case before any other kind of evaluation.

References

QuestionPro. (2019, May 10). Evaluation Research: Definition, Methods and Examples | QuestionPro. Retrieved from QuestionPro website: https://www.questionpro.com/blog/evaluation-research-definition-methods-and-examples/