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Module E > Gathering data 

 

Gathering data for report

Where do you get the data for reporting Inputs, Services/Activities or Learning Objectives?

You may already have procedures in place that will show how you spent Money, Staff and Time.

Money: Have you created separate accounts for tracking program expenses? A simple spreadsheet may be all you need to record program-specific spending.

Staff: How do you normally track the work of staff and volunteers? Can you separate out the work for this program?

Time: Have you created a timeline for the program? Can it be turned into a checklist for work accomplished? Is there a reporting structure (Weekly? Monthly meetings? Quarterly reports?) from team leaders (as a record of what’s been done).

 

Gathering data to report on participants

Data about participants can provide useful information about your program's target audience, but be careful to focus on characteristics of the participnats that are relevant to your outcomes.

The kinds of characteristics often recorded are:

Age, gender, income, education, referred by or how did you hear about us?, number in household, living situation, marital status, address, health, employment.

Let’s see how to choose participant characteristics that provide data relevant to your program.

  

Library example: characteristics of participants

The Riverton (Kentucky) Memoirs program will serve participants to improve their writing and demonstrate they feel themselves to be a part of a community of writers.

 

 

Gathering data to report on outcomes

Where do you get the data to report on outcomes? While you may already have procedures to document Money, Staff, and Time, data to measure outcomes comes from your evaluation plan in your logical Planning Model.

Examine the following information about gathering data for reporting outcomes.

Small Program
Does a memoir-writing program change the participants so they feel and act like writers? : A phone survey three months after the close of the group showed that 15 (83%) acted in ways (predetermined by a checklist) that showed self-identification as a writer: discussing their published work with others, attending readings of other writers’ work, signing up for another writing activity, producing more writing, reading additional memoirs

Medium Program
Can a museum exhibit on maps improve visitor’s knowledge of geography and understanding of its importance? : Exit survey results indicate that 72% of children in grades 3-5 were able to identify at least three features of maps and list three main points from the exhibit on map making.

 

Assessing Outcomes

You know what success will look like because you’ve already planned:

Indicators

• Participants (some or all of your target audience)
• How to gather information (sources of data, how frequently collected)
• Targets for each indicator (minimum acceptable for success)

 

Gathering data for improvement throughout

In module D, we focused on evaluating outcomes—the focus of Shaping Outcomes. Evaluation can also provide useful information as you develop your program.

Evaluations at different phases of program development are called front-end, formative and summative. They can evaluate the process and the quality of products. This evaluation data is vital for interim and final reports.

Will it Work? (front end) Pilot testing materials, such as the feedback form used after author visits to the Riverton group or pilot testing lesson plans.

Is it Working? (formative) Mid-course corrections: compare self-assesments of revised work by the Riverton group to independent review. Identify additional participants, if participant numbers are too low. Modify how you assess outcomes with more cost-effectiveness measures.

Has it Worked? (summative) Should this program be continued, expanded, replicated?

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