Getting help with evaluation
Rather than try to recreate some of the handy resources
that there are ‘out there’, or to try and second-guess
every reader’s needs, we’ve included some examples
of evaluation guides and encourage you to engage
with them. We’ve also reflected on the evaluation
challenges of each case study project throughout the
volume.
Sometimes, you might find that you have the resources
to commission an external evaluation of your work. This
can appeal for a number of reasons, not least because
you might like to hand over the whole process to
someone else, but independence can also give extra
credibility. Given how invested we are in our projects
it might be hard to stay really detached and objective.
Plus, other people do this for a living!
Even if you are not planning to do an evaluation
yourself, it can be useful to read a little around different
types of evaluation to get an idea of the ‘type’ that
you want. For example, if you are interested in levels
of offending, you may be interested in a ‘quantitative’
project, involving a method such as a questionnaire,
that assesses self-reported offending with large groups
of people both before and after experiencing an
intervention, or you may require an observation project
that involves observing the number of offenders who
can be seen using a mobile phone while driving on
a given road. If you are interested in understanding
why behaviours have changed or how your target
demographic group believe your road safety strategy
could be improved, ‘qualitative’ approaches including
interviews or focus groups would be better suited as
they provide more depth of understanding.
We would encourage you to really make sure that
anyone who comes in to evaluate your project really
understands what you require, and understands the
practicalities of what is being delivered, so that they can
design an evaluation that is realistic and achievable and
answers your questions.
Toolkits such as E-valu-it¹ can be usefully combined
with more specific guidance². Information on evaluation
more generally can also be useful; The Dorset County
Council guide³, for example, is a simple and easy-to-
navigate toolkit.
Even if you don’t plan on becoming an expert
evaluator yourself, everything you do learn can help
you get value for money from someone else.
¹ RoSPA (nd). E-valu-it Logic Model. Available from: http://www.roadsafetyevaluation.com/introduction/logicmodel
² Helman, S., Ward, H.A., Christie, N., & McKenna, F.P (2011) Using behavioural measures to evaluate route safety schemes: detailed guidance for practitioner.
Available from http://www.roadsafetyevaluation.com/docs/behavioural-measures.pdf
³ Dorset County Council (nd). Evaluation Toolkit. Available from: http://www.roadsafetyevaluation.com/docs/evaluation-toolkit.pdf
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