Dr Annalisa Alexander Head of Outreach Imperial College London
May 21, 2015
Dr Annalisa AlexanderHead of Outreach
Imperial College London
Workshop Aims:To understand and explore (in an hour):
Evaluation principlesImpact measurement
What… Why… How…
Case studies and sharing best practise
Group work
Please ask questions, share your thoughts and interact!
Definitions….Evaluation
“To Judge or assess the worth of…”Impact
“To have an effect upon….”You can evaluate a scheme in isolation
e.g. Are the participants communicating regularly? What topics are they discussing?
But you can’t easily measure impact without first evaluating the programmee.g. What effect is the programme having on raising aspirations? Are
mentees more likely to achieve higher grades as a result of being part of it?
EvaluationWhat is Evaluation?
Process Evaluation – Is it doing what it should be?Outcome Evaluation – Impact measurement - Has it achieved
what you intended?
Evaluation in a mentoring context:Critical to ensure the scheme is working
Are mentors and mentees interacting appropriately? Do boundaries need to be changed/set? Is the training sufficient? Do the mentors and mentees require more support?
EvaluationCase Study – medical e-mentoring scheme
Piloted in 2003 with a few mentoring pairs (range of ages in three schools)
Feedback from schools suggested Year 10 to Year 13 would be suitable
Evaluation in 2005 showed Year 10s were not engagedScheme then focused in on Year 11+2010 onwards, OFFA required Year 12 interactionSTEM-wide scheme launched 2012 following feedback from
schools and pupilsCurrently 250 mentoring pairs across STEM
www.imperialmentoring.org
EvaluationWhy is evaluation necessary?
Funders often require itExternal bodies (e.g. OFFA) require itInternal rigor should demand it!
Gathering feedback is meaningless unless you are prepared to do something with it….
Evaluation How do we do it?
Keep It SIMPLE!Keep it SHORT!Keep it quantitativeFree text is hard to interpret but can be usefulEncourage participation through prizes or incentivesPre and post course evaluation works well – as long as the
questions are comparable…. Be clear about what you are trying to find out though – a good
evaluation form has a strong focus but beware of bias in your questioning
Evaluation – Group Work The Brief:
You have been running a mentoring scheme for sixth formers at a local school for 18-months to 2 years
The purpose of the scheme was to help them make choices about careers/university
Another school has expressed an interest in the scheme but wants to know what is involved in running it
Create a short evaluation formNo more than one side of A4Remember that you should be able to turn the answers into a
coherent report on the nuts and bolts of the scheme
Impact MeasurementWhat is Impact measurement?
Demonstrating through your evaluation work that your scheme has made a measurable difference
Impact measurement in a mentoring context:Critical to ensure the scheme has done what you intended it to
do The mentors’ and mentees’ expectations have been met The mentors/mentees have grown in confidence and understanding
If the scheme hasn’t achieved what you intended – how can you improve or change it? Feedback is crucial (ideally 360 if possible!)
Impact MeasurementWhy is Impact measurement so important?
Often a requirement of funders/partner organisationsEnsures that your scheme is on track (E.g. OFFA)Allows you to make critical changes along the way if it is not
meeting expectations or hitting targets
How do we measure impact?Keep it simple!Its easy to develop complicated multi-faceted methods but just a
basic demonstration of cause and effect will often suffice
Impact Measurement
Ref: National Council for Voluntary Organisation
Impact MeasurementCase Study – Imperial STEM Enrichment Programme
A series of tailored AS level STEM and personal effectiveness workshops for high achieving Year 12 students
All from disadvantages backgrounds, under represented in Higher Education
First cohort was 96 Year 12 students from across LondonFully funded through Access moneyRigorous evaluation and impact measurement is required
Impact MeasurementQ1: How would you rate the event overall? 95% rated the event Good or Very good
Response Number of responses
Adequate 21 Good 191 Very Good 210 Very Poor 1 Grand Total 423
5%
45%50%
0%Adequate
Good
Very Good
Very Poor
Q2: I now feel more motivated about my studies. 88% feel more motivated about their studies
Response Number of responses
Agree 234 Disagree 2 Not Sure 41 Strongly Agree 139 Strongly Disagree 5 (blank) 2 Grand Total 423
55%
1%10%
33%
1% 0%Agree
Disagree
Not Sure
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Impact MeasurementQ3: I understand the importance of studying the subject of this event. 92% agree or strongly agree
Response Number of responses
Agree 216 Disagree 4 Not Sure 25 Strongly Agree 173 Strongly Disagree 2 (blank) 3 Grand Total 423
51%
1%6%
41%
0% 1% Agree
Disagree
Not Sure
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
(blank)
Q4: I will consider applying to courses related to the subject of this event at University. 91% believe they will consider applying to courses related to the subject at University.
Response Number of responses
Agree 156 Disagree 4 Not Sure 24 Strongly Agree 230 Strongly Disagree 5 (blank) 4 Grand Total 423
37%
1%6%
54%
1% 1% Agree
Disagree
Not Sure
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
(blank)
Impact MeasurementQ2-5: I am more likely to go on to University. 84% believe they are more likely to go to university following the event
Response Number of responses
Agree 139 Disagree 14 Not Sure 41 Strongly Agree 216 Strongly Disagree 4 (blank) 9
Grand Total 423
33%
3%10%
51%
1% 2% Agree
Disagree
Not Sure
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
(blank)
• The impact of this scheme was therefore: Participants felt more confident in their studies Participants felt more motivated to continue on to Higher
Education Participants felt they were now more likely to apply to study a
course relating to the subject they had received support with
Impact Measurement – Group Work
The Brief: A corporate partner has expressed an interest in your mentoring
scheme and would like to potentially offer three years fundingThey have requested a more detailed report that looks at the
impact your scheme has on pupils’ decisions and choices post A-level
Now revisit your evaluation formWhat do you need to change/add to get a more detailed picture
of impact?What measurements are you interested in?
e.g. how will you measure change in aspiration?
Pitfalls….Over complicated evaluation forms lose effectivenessA danger of investing too much time and resource
You can sink a lot of money into it….!Bias in designing tools - don’t just focus on things you know
will give good feedbackAsking questions that are meaningless or can’t be
interpretedAvoid free text unless you wish to use comments later
Data protection issues – always be sure to state what you intend to do with the information
ReferencesRhodes, J (2002): Gauging the Effectiveness of Youth mentoring. The
National Mentoring PartnershipLee, C (2012): Keeping Impact Measurement Simple. Third Sector (
www.thirdsector.co.uk) National Council for Voluntary Organisations (www.ncvo-vol.org.uk) Parsons et al (2008): Formalised Peer Mentoring Pilot Evaluation.
Canterbury Christ Church University (Research Report DCSF-RR033)Garbarine, S & Holland, J (2009): Quantitative and qualitative methods in
impact evaluation and measuring results. Governance and Social Development Resource Centre
Berk et al (2005): Measuring the effectiveness of faculty mentoring relationships. Academic Medicine, Vol. 80, 1.
Ref : Dilbert.com, Scott Adams