An evaluation system is “a means for identifying, developing, implementing and sustaining those things that support evaluative inquiry.” According to Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry there are five essential components of an evaluation system. Those components include: Leadership Commitment, Evaluation Vision and Philosophy, Evaluation Strategic Plan, Evaluation Design and Implementation Requirements, and Personnel and Financial Resources.
Leadership Commitment means that all the leaders of the organization are clear on presenting the goals and values and explaining how important an evaluation is. The evaluation is important because it strengthens the organization. The leaders have to explain that during the evaluation, they will be working together as a team to improve the organization.
Evaluation Vision and Philosophy includes a vision statement and philosophy in which the organization follows. The vision statement describes the organization’s values and beliefs. The philosophy “communicates the organization’s preferred model or approach that will guide evaluation practice.”
An Evaluation Strategic Plan is the who, what, where, when, and how of the evaluation. In this plan, details are planned out with who is involved, where it is held, when will it be held, how long will it be held, what will be done during this time, etc. It is a very detailed plan.
Evaluation Design and Implementation Requirements is to ensure that the evaluation system is implemented in ways that reflect professional evaluation practice. There are four requirements that contribute to successful evaluations. Those requirements include Evaluation Plans, Technology Resources and Infrastructure, Communication Systems, and Flexible and Responsive Evaluation Practices.
Personnel and Financial Resources include having enough people involved to not only run the evaluation but to participate in as well. There also should be enough money to run the evaluation. If there is not enough of either of these, then it will not be a proper evaluation.
As far as my final course project, I still need to work on my Power Point a bit. I should also touch up my wording, spelling, and format in each piece of my project. I really like having each piece due every couple weeks. It keeps me on track and focused on each part of the project. I am still a bit confused on our presentation length though. The lecture said 5 minutes but I read elsewhere 7-10 minutes.
