ABSTRACT
This chapter describes what evaluation is and how it can be effectively performed. Evaluation measures the teaching. Evaluation can focus on the effectiveness of a completed programme, when it is sometimes called product or summative evaluation and is often carried out by independent observers. Evaluation has been grouped into student-oriented, programme-oriented, institution-oriented, programme-oriented and stakeholder-oriented outcomes. The quickest and most common form of evaluation is to ask for participant feedback. Evaluation forms given out at the end of a study day 'to help the organisers as they prepare for the next study day' are commonplace. The strength of the snowball method is that it involves participants in contributing and discussing their views of the course. It also provides opportunities for them to feed these back to the course organiser or leader and to discuss them. Deciding which aspects to measure, and which marker to use and when, are integral to the success of an evaluation tool.
