New & Noteworthy
Exploring Abductive Coding: Insights from Our International Abductive Coding Workshop
On November 21, 2024, EVALCORP had the honor of hosting an International Abductive Coding Workshop, offering a deep dive into qualitative coding and abductive analysis. This virtual event provided a unique opportunity for researchers, educators, and applied practitioners from around the world to explore valuable tools and strategies grounded in the innovative techniques presented in…
Project Spotlight—Developing an Abductive Coding and Analysis Toolkit (DACAT): An International Project to Bring an Emerging Research Methodology to the Private Sector
EVALCORP is excited to announce a new international research collaboration. This summer we began partnering with professors at UCLouvain, a Belgian University, on a project funded by a grant through the European Research Council (ERC)—the scientific funding body of the European Union. This particular grant awards funding to researchers to explore ways that academic research…
A Guide to Effective Evaluation Planning
Developing an evaluation begins with thinking. You need to consider the purpose of evaluation, information needs and questions, stakeholders, and logistics. It’s important to be clear about why you’re doing an evaluation, what is being evaluated, and who is being evaluated. These considerations will help you develop your evaluation questions. It’s difficult to know what…
Understanding the Power of a Data-Informed Culture
Data is critical to making informed decisions. But what exactly is data? Simply put, data is information—any information that can shed light on your programs or organization. Evaluation, in particular, relies on systematically collected and analyzed data to drive informed decision-making. Embracing a Data-Informed CultureA data-informed culture is one that recognizes the inherent value of…
Why Use Custom Measures? Part 3
How should programs implement a custom measure? If you are implementing a custom measure as part of a program evaluation or needs assessment, there are several things to keep in mind. Once you have developed a custom measure, the best thing to do with it is to fully document its development and share it with…
Why Use Custom Measures? Part 2
How are custom measures developed? My colleagues who are measurement specialists lament that the most common way that custom measures are developed is for someone on the project team to “just start writing items.” If this approach actually worked well for the making measures, I wouldn’t be so hard on it, but the truth is…
Why Use Custom Measures? Part 1
In my last blog post about measurement, I wrote about why an evaluation consultant may encourage you to use a validated measure in your project. In the conclusion to that piece, I promised that I would also explain when a tailor-made questionnaire would be more appropriate. To cut to the chase: custom measures will be…
Integrating Trauma-Informed Approaches: Changing How We View and Respond to Trauma
As part of our series on trauma-informed evaluation approaches, we first delved into different ways trauma is defined and how it impacts individuals or groups. Because trauma is widespread and can have such a strong impact on individuals or groups, it is pertinent to understand how to best engage with and support individuals who have…
Integrating Trauma-Informed Approaches: An Overview of Trauma and Its Effects
At EVALCORP, when we collaborate on a program evaluation or needs assessment, we value meeting our clients where they are by understanding what informs their perspective. This initial understanding creates a strong connection from the project start, which in turn supports communication and leads to more meaningful collaboration throughout the project cycle. Our approach does…