Student

Designing
Evaluation
FOR EDUCATION PROJECTS

Office of Education and Sustainable Development
NOAA

Designing
Evaluation
FOR EDUCATION PROJECTS

Office of Education and Sustainable Development
NOAA

Acknowledgments

E

valuation is an integral and essential component of effective project design. This manual is intended to assist project managers as they develop and implement their evaluation plan. Much of the manual is based on the Project Design and Evaluation course developed by
NOAA Coastal Services Center and the work of the following individuals:
Kate Barba, NOAA Estuarine Reserves Division
Sarah Ross, NOAA Office of Education and Sustainable Development
Chris Parsons, Word Craft
Brian Miller, Indiana-Illinois Sea Grant Extension
Mike Spranger, Florida Sea Grant Extension
Ginger Hinchcliff, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Lynne Hinkey, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Corey Riley, NOAA Estuarine Reserves Division
In addition, discussions with other colleagues have shaped this document. Their assistance is appreciated.
Bora Simmons
Environmental Education
Department of Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115

ii

Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................. 1
What is Project Evaluation? ...................................................................................... 1
Why is Evaluation Important to Project Design and Implementation? ..................... 2
Planning Evaluation ................................................................................................. 4
Types of Evaluation .................................................................................................. 9
Data Collection Methods ....................................................................................... 15
Mixed Methods

References: Diamond, J. (1999). Practical evaluation guide: Tools for museums and other informal educational settings Fetterman, D.M. (1998). Ethnography: Step by step. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Fink, A. & Kosecoff, J. (1985). How to conduct surveys: A step by step guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Fitz-Gibbon, D.T. & Morris, L.L. (1987). How to design a program evaluation. Newbury Park: Sage Publications. Frechtilling, J. et al. (2002). The 2002 user friendly handbook for project evaluation. Washington, D.C.: National Science Foundation. Herman, J., Morris, L.L. & Fitz-Gibbon, C.T. (1987). Evaluator’s handbook. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Kirkpatrick, D. (1994). Evaluating training programs: The four levels. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Levin, H.M. and McEwan, P.J. (2001). Cost-effectiveness analysis: Methods and applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Madison, A.M. (ed.) (1992) Minority issues in program evaluation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. McNamara, C. Basic guide to program evaluation. (Retrieved from http://www.mapnp.org/library/ evaluatn/fnl_eval.htm December 27, 2003.) Mehrens, W. & Lehman, I. (1991). Measurement and evaluation in education and psychology (4th ed.). Morris, L.L., Fitz-Gibbon, D.T. & Freeman, M.E. (1987). How to measure performance and use tests. Patton, M.Q. (1987). How to use qualitative methods in evaluation. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. _______. (2001). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Sanders, J. (1994) The program evaluation standards – How to assess evaluations of educational programs December 27, 2003). Wholey, J., Hatry, H.P. & Newcomer, K.E. (Eds.) (1994) Handbook of practical program evaluation.