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What is Program Evaluation? Generating Knowledge for Improvement

What is Program Evaluation? Generating Knowledge for Improvement In this introductory article, we discuss the nature of Program Evaluation, describing the concepts that underlie our formal and informal evaluative efforts. Program Evaluation, like any deliberate inquiry process, is about learning. The process explicates program purposes, activities, and outcomes and generates knowledge about their merit and worth. This knowledge can inform planning and lead to program improvement. We present and discuss various definitions of Program Evaluation, focussing on its purposes and uses. We also provide an overview of the inquiry process, grounding the search for merit and worth in the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators. Because program evaluations are typically conducted to inform decision makers, we discuss aspects of professional practise that contribute to the use of an evaluation. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Archival Science Springer Journals

What is Program Evaluation? Generating Knowledge for Improvement

Rallis, Sharon; Bolland, Kathleen
Archival Science , Volume 4 (2) – Sep 23, 2005
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References (6)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by Springer
Subject
Cultural and Media Studies; Library Science; Organization; Information Storage and Retrieval; Anthropology; Cultural Heritage; Computer Appl. in Arts and Humanities
ISSN
1389-0166
eISSN
1573-7519
DOI
10.1007/s10502-005-6988-4
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In this introductory article, we discuss the nature of Program Evaluation, describing the concepts that underlie our formal and informal evaluative efforts. Program Evaluation, like any deliberate inquiry process, is about learning. The process explicates program purposes, activities, and outcomes and generates knowledge about their merit and worth. This knowledge can inform planning and lead to program improvement. We present and discuss various definitions of Program Evaluation, focussing on its purposes and uses. We also provide an overview of the inquiry process, grounding the search for merit and worth in the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators. Because program evaluations are typically conducted to inform decision makers, we discuss aspects of professional practise that contribute to the use of an evaluation.

Journal

Archival Science – Springer Journals

Published: Sep 23, 2005

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