evaluation

act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of an appraisal of the value of something

"he set a high valuation on friendship"

Evaluation is the systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance.''Evaluation also means determining the value of an expression (mathematics) or expression (programming).''''Evaluation'' describes the process of examining information about an evaluand.Evaluation is often used in an educational context, but applies to many other areas, such as computer science, business, health interventions and engineering. Often evaluation is confused with assessment. However, evaluation is broader than assessment and involves making judgments about the merit or worth of an evaluand. Merit involves judgments about intrinsic value. Worth involves judgments about instrumental value. For example, a history and a mathematics teacher may have equal merit in terms of mastery of their respective disciplines, but the math teacher may have greater worth because of the higher demand and lower supply of qualified mathematics teachers. The American Evaluation Association (www.eval.org) has created a set of standards that are commonly accepted as guidelines for evaluations. They provide guidelines about basing value judgments on systematic inquiry, evaluator competence and integrity, respect for people, and regard for the general and public welfare. The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (www.wmich.edu/evalctr/jc/) has developed standards for program, personnel, and student evaluation. The Joint Committee standards are broken into four sections: ''Utility, Feasibility, Propriety,'' and ''Accuracy''. A link to the full AEA Evaluation and Joint Committee Standards can be found under "external links".Dr. David Williams, from Brigham Young University, has established an framework consisting of 14 questions that should be considered when determininig the effectiveness of an evaluation:# What is the background/context/literature information for understanding an evaluation plan or report?# Who are the audiences/stake holders/information users who care about the evaluand and its evaluation?# What is the evaluand these people care about?# What issues, concerns or information needs do they have regarding the evaluand?# What criteria do they have for judging the evaluand?# What questions do they want to answer regarding how well the evaluand meets the criteria?# What processes and activities were used to collect data to answer the questions and compare the evaluand to the criteria?# What analysis procedures were used to interpret the data?# What reporting strategies were used to get information to information users (interim and final)?# What are the results or answers to the evaluation questions?# What recommendations does this study yield?# What resources were used to carry out the entire study, including team members?# What schedule and budget were followed and how did they compare to what was planned?# How did this study hold up against meta-evaluation standards?

Evaluation Techniques - There are many techniques and approaches for conducting evaluations. The following are some of the most common.

The Delphi Technique

Appreciative Inquiry

See also -

Educational Evaluation is evaluation that is conducted specifically in an educational setting.

Assessment is the process of gathering and analyzing specific information as part of an evaluation.

External links -

eval.org - Guiding Principles -- American Evaluation Association Guiding Principles for Evaluators

wmich.edu - Evaluation Standards -- Standards for effective evaluations, as determined by the Joint Committee on Evaluation Standards

sil.org - Formative vs. Summative Evaluation -- these are the two general purposes for evaluation

http://www.ibec-its.org - International, Benefits, Evaluation and Costs Working Group for the ITS communityde:Evaluation

CEVAS Consulenza e Valutazione nel Sociale
Il sito CEVAS offre numerose risorse (ttols, manuali, link ragionati, slides) sulla valutazione di politiche, programmi, piani e progetti nel settore sociale (Es. programmi o servizi sociali e sociosanitari, piani di zona, programmi per la prevenzione della devianza minorile o delle dipendenze) Il sito si rivolge a policy maker, utilizzatori della valutazione, responsabili dei servizi, consulenti e valutatori nel settore delle politiche sociali.
http://www.cevas.it/

Beratung zum Gesundheitsmanagement
Gesundheitsmanagement ist Management und Risikomanagement für Humankapital, Zukunftsfähigkeit und Vitalität der Unternehmen.
http://www.dr-jancik.de/

Despierta Argentina (NGO)
An Argentina NGO dedicated to strengthen the leadership of social leaders and their organizations teaching and applying Appreciative Inquiry. The mayor project is Imagine Argentina, which brings the community into dialogue and jointly constructs a positive future image and a vision for the country.
http://www.despiertaargentina.org/

develop your school!
schulentwickler have the knowledge and tools for make your school better.
http://www.schulentwickler.de/

Project4 Design
Design, Web & Branding Solutions. Based in Lilongwe, Malawi but can do work for anyone, anywhere.
http://www.p4studio.com/

InsurancePro Agency Management Software
InsurancePro is the affordable, powerful and easy to use insurance agency management software, especially designed for completely automating Independent Insurance Agencies. InsurancePro provides powerful features like ACORD Forms, Scanning, Rating Software Link, Customized Reports and more for a low fee.
http://www.insuranceproonline.com/

Wessex Partnerships Ltd
Consultancy - Funding - Delivery
http://www.wessexpartnerships.com/

CyberSky
CyberSky is an exciting, entertaining, and educational astronomy program that transforms your personal computer into your personal planetarium. CyberSky provides an excellent way to learn about astronomy and to explore the wonders of the sky visible in the distant past, the present, and the far-off future.
http://www.cybersky.com/

WAMMI: Web site ease of use -
WAMMI is a unique service to help web site owners across the world accomplish their business goals by measuring and tracking user reactions to web site ease-of-use.
http://www.wammi.com/

Adroit Data Recovery Centre
Offers data recovery services for storage media from hard disk to flash media card.
http://www.adrc.net/

Buro for Engineering in cost analysis and consulting in LÜBECK
Cost analysis and reduction of costs in the enterprise by engineer's office RATIKAL in Luebeck. With us you can count... and save.
http://www.ratikal.de/

Measurement, Research, Evaluation, Statistic
spss measurement testing research evaluation
http://www.watpon.com/

JosiansWine
The emphasis of the website is writing for the consumer about wine quality available at New York stores.
http://www.josianswine.com/

Marfan Syndrome
Information regarding the disease and links to an online support group and other Marfan information.
http://www.marfanssyndrome.net/

Career testing in Georgia
Career counseling, vocational evaluations,partial and comprehensive, Metro Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.newstartservices.com/

www.brighamwalker.com
Brigham & Associates is the leader in impairment evaluation & AMA Guides traning.
http://www.brighamwalker.com/

Green Marketing, Inc.
Strategic Marketing Consultation
http://www.greenmarketing.net/

Education Now
National consulting firm founded in 1994 to provide consulting and management assistance to counseling, student service and related educational programs in schools, colleges, agencies, organizations and the private sector.
http://www.ednow.org/

ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
A source for information pertaining to educational and psychological testing and learning theories. Links to ERIC digests, short literature reviews on specific topics written for the general public.
http://ericae.net/

American Evaluation Association
An international organization devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation.
http://www.eval.org/

European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA)
Evaluates quality and effectiveness of health products for human and veterinary use. Documentation on commissions, opinions, and procedures provided online.
http://www.emea.eu.int/

Food and Drug Administration
The Consumer Protection Agency of the U.S. Government which monitors medical devices, foods, drugs, biologics, veterinary medicine, and toxicological research.
http://www.fda.gov