How to use this toolkit?

This toolkit is structured to facilitate easy access to key information and tools that can be used in developing effective evaluations. Each section includes an explanation of the subject matter, offers some practical tools and worksheets that can be used to support your evaluation work and highlights select case examples to illustrate how the information can be applied in a PSE setting. Links to further resources are also included at the end of each section.

Section 1.0: What is Evaluation

‘What is Evaluation’ supports you to develop an understanding of the language of evaluation and outlines the types of evaluation, setting a strong foundation before moving into the more detailed content in later sections.

Section 2.0: Planning your Evaluation

‘Planning your Evaluation’ begins with a review of how to assess your readiness for evaluation.  Then, this section details the four (4) steps of building an evaluation plan:

• Consider How to Engage Your Stakeholders
• Assess & Ensure Evaluation Program Readiness
• Determine & Develop Evaluation Plan
• Identify Evaluation Questions and Type
• Plan for your Evaluation
• Develop Data Collection Methods

Within each step customized worksheets are included, key terms are defined and highlighted and select case examples are used to illustrate application.

Section 3.0: Conducting your Evaluation

‘Conducting your Evaluation’ begins with a review of ethical considerations of involving people in an evaluation, specifically in the context of gathering data to answer your evaluation questions. This section also offers useful takeaways by detailing how to build to widely used data collection tools such as surveys and focus group discussion guides. This section ends with some key concepts to support the analysis of your data.

Section 4.0: Sharing and Learning’

‘Sharing and Learning’ is focused on how you can use the findings uncovered from your evaluation to support the ongoing development of your program or service and to support a body of learning to drive mental health and addiction supports forward on campus. Simple ways in which you can build a culture of evaluation in your office is also included.

Each section will offer definitions, information on best practices, and evaluation tips, techniques and tools. You can:

• Read through to get immersed in the topic
• Jump to the section that is of most interest right now
• Use the toolkit in a step-by-step way as you evaluate
• Share it as a professional development tool

A complete list of additional resources is included at the end of this toolkit for those wishing to further develop skills in evaluating programs and services in the PSE context. And lastly, blank versions of the worksheets included throughout this toolkit are also catalogued in the Appendix.