Evaluating the Impact of Training and Institutional Development Programs A Collaborative Approach. EDI Learning Resources Series. SUNY Series, Teacher Preparation and Development

This manual focuses on measuring the effects of training and institutional development programs on individuals, the organizations or economic sectors in which they work, and the welfare of the larger community. It presents a conceptual framework as well as real-life examples drawn from evaluations of the Economic Development Institute's learning and capacity-building programs in the developing world. It provides practical advice on developing evaluation plans, designing questionnaires, conducting interviews, analyzing data, reporting findings, and making recommendations. Emphasis is placed on the active participation of stakeholders throughout the process. This manual is intended for managers of training and institutional development programs. Its objective is to provide clear and practical advice for those who conduct impact evaluations. Impact evaluation is distinguished from other types of evaluation by the area of the program on which it focuses, the assessment of the extent to which a program has caused desired changes in the target audience. This manual uses a training program developed by the Economic Development Institute and the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development, a Japanese partner, as a case study to illustrate the aspects of a practical and collaborative approach to impact evaluation. The following steps in an impact evaluation are discussed: (1) focusing the evaluation; (2) planning the evaluation design; (3) deciding on the sample and the methodology; (4) developing the questionnaire; (5) collecting data through interviews, observations, and documents; (6) analyzing and interpreting the data; and (7) reporting the results and making recommendations. Four appendixes contain an annotated bibliography of 20 sources, an evaluation of the case study program, a description of another program evaluation, a questionnaire sample, and a final evaluation report outline. (Contains four tables, two figures, and 23 references.) (SLD) Suzanne Taschereau. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 59-65).