Author: Omolola Adedokun
Planning Unit: Community & Leadership Development
Major Program: Staff Development
Outcome: Initial Outcome
A survey is often the first data collection technique that Extension specialists and agents think of when planning for the evaluation of their programs and outreach efforts. However, a survey may not be the most appropriate approach in every context. As part of ongoing evaluation capacity building efforts, UK Extension Evaluation Director developed and implemented a training entitled “Alternative Evaluation Methods” to provide Extension personnel with best practices for non-survey data collection methods (e.g., rubrics, secondary data, extrapolation of existing evidence, and web analytics). Twenty-one (21) specialists and agents participated in the training of which nineteen (19) responded to a retrospective pretest-posttest evaluation tool. Results showed statistically significant improvement on all learning outcomes. Participants’ overall understanding of non-survey data collection methods increased by 36%. With regards to specific non-survey methods, participants’ understanding of how to extrapolate existing evidence or research for program evaluation increased by 50%; understating of how to use web analytics to demonstrate program impact increased by 43%; and understanding of how to use observation or interview rubrics to gather evaluation data increased by 38%.
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