Hello! We are Stacy Johnson and Cami Connell from the Improve Group. At Evaluation 2013, we had the opportunity to present on our experiences using a unique mixed methods approach to collecting data.
November 11, 2013 - 3:02pm
October 25, 2013 - 10:42am
Good communication is a key tenant of Improve Group work and never is it more important than when working with populations who speak a different language than the evaluators. While we have a number of staff who speak multiple languages (basic to advanced skills include: English, Spanish, French, Malinké, Hebrew, Khmer/Cambodian, Hmong, Bambara and Wolof), a number of our projects have required additional language sets.
October 25, 2013 - 10:39am
The Improve Group has had enlightening experiences working across projects requiring multiple languages and leading us to use all manner of data collection – from one-on-one interviews, to focus groups, to our own Image Grouping participatory techniques. We’ve worked in a variety of contexts and regions, with a wide variety of participant groups.
October 22, 2013 - 3:17pm
This morning, National Public Radio featured a piece on the upcoming results aspect of Charity Navigator’s rating system.
September 4, 2013 - 2:18pm
Depending on what you want to accomplish through evaluation, some approaches may require a big investment of time or money.
August 20, 2013 - 10:05am
Using surveys, whether on the general public or a targeted population of interest, can be an effective and fruitful way to gather information. However, there may be, at times, reasons to question whether your survey participants are being honest with their results.
August 15, 2013 - 10:24am
Pre- and post-tests collect and compare individuals’ responses before and after an intervention. You must have a method of identifying the participant so that you can measure the change from the first survey to the second. One potential way to both maintain confidentiality and link surveys from pre- to post is to anonymously generate ID codes for the participants. However, they need to be codes that can be easily recovered if needed and are unlikely to be duplicated across multiple respondents. This topic recently came up on an evaluation listserv.
July 31, 2013 - 9:22am
Planning for the International Year of Evaluation in 2015 is taking off! Also referred to as EvalYear, it will be a unique opportunity to focus specifically on evaluation and its importance in the development and implementation of sustainable programs.
July 24, 2013 - 7:46pm
Four years ago, the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) began granting funds to help communities in Minnesota with the goal of making healthy choices be the easy choices.