User-Friendly Evaluation in Community-Based Projects

Abstract

Abstract: There is a growing trend in current evaluation to encourage the active participation of those being evaluated, particularly in community-based programs. This evaluation often focuses on processes as well as outcomes, documenting what has been effective over the life of the project. However, such evaluation is often done “on the run,” without thinking through what the evaluation might mean from a user perspective, particularly for clients or project participants. Three examples of communitybased evaluation projects are used to explore some issues in taking the idea of “user-friendly” evaluation seriously.