Learning and Evaluation/Archive/Learning modules/2Formative Process

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Part 1. Overview: Program Evaluation Basics Overview; A Note about Words; What is a Program?; Understanding Programs; What is Program Evaluation?; Why is evaluation important?
Part 2. Stages of Evaluation: The Cycle and Stages of Evaluation; The Tasks of Each Evaluation Stage
Part 3. Types of Evaluation: Types of Evaluation; Needs Assessment; Feasibility Assessment; Monitoring; Context Evaluation; Formative/Process Evaluation; Summative Evaluation; Impact Evaluation
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Program Evaluation Basics Menu

Formative/Process Evaluation

Stages Involved

Completion & Feedback		Identification

Implementation		Design

Key question:

How did it happen? What worked? What didn’t work?

Provides feedback to improve a program and its effectiveness throughout the program delivery process
Provides information for a program's modifications, documentation, and management

The Formative or Process Evaluation is also helpful for explaining the results from other types of evaluation and can provide many of the details needed for replicating a program.

Evaluation in Action: A Process or Formative Evaluation

With their new Wiki Loves Monuments focused in rural areas, the chapter wanted to know what were the specific steps that made their program work well.

A Process or Formative Evaluation examines the pathway taken in executing a program, such as the various program pieces and strategies that took the organizers from start to finish. This evaluation is helpful for examining any steps that were different than expected, whether they were beneficial or otherwise. Did they get their website up at a certain time? In what way did they market their program and how large was their reach? Who was involved in these processes and were their any planning issues? Was most of the work being done by too few volunteers? What kind of tools did they use to carry out the project?.

The documentation and information gained from this process evaluation was also helpful for doing the program the following year. Several other chapters became interested in this program design and used the details from the process evaluation to replicate it in their own countries.