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Introduction and Framework
Evaluating Inputs
Evaluating Processes
Evaluating Outcomes
Case Studies
Reporting and Using
Evaluation Results
Putting It All Together
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ABOUT THE PROJECT

About The Guide

Our purpose in writing this guide is to share how we have approached evaluation and hope that others can learn from our experiences. We've chosen to all use a shared framework for evaluation created by  the Canadian Research Working Group for Evidence-Based Practice in Career Development (Baudouin, Bezanson, Borgen, Goyer, Hiebert, Lalande, Magnusson, Michaud, Renald, & Turcotte, 2007). This framework is key to understanding our evaluation activities and the guide provides an introduction to taking a systematic approach to evaluation within this framework. We have presented and explained this framework as we have found it useful to first get a 'macro' understanding of evaluation, and then to go to the 'micro' to look at how to evaluate specific programs or services.

We have shared a variety of specific tools that we have used in our own offices, including spreadsheets, surveys, and rubrics. We offer them as examples that you can review and adapt to your needs. These are provided as works-in-progress and we continue to refine and improve them.

As with all projects, this one has its limitations. We have shared one framework for understanding evaluation (inputs, processes, and outcomes) but there are others that are not presented. Further research is needed to help determine the most effective evaluation tools and approaches.

University Career Centre Metrics Working Group:
We are a working group of the directors of five university career centres and a project coordinator. We planned and executed the creation of this guide, including sharing tools created and used in our own offices. We are career practitioners and leaders who, like you, have varying amounts of formal and informal training in evaluation, and are trying to fit evaluation into already full schedules. Because we have been devoting significant time to creating evaluation strategies for our own offices over the last few years, we decided to share our experiences through this guide, not as necessarily “best” practices, but as stories that we hope will be helpful as you consider your own evaluation.

Funding:
This project is funded by The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC), and contributions from the working group members.

Website Hosting:
The website is hosted by CERIC.

CERIC

External Testers:
Thank you to the career centres who helped with this project as external testers.

Other Support:
A special thank you to the Canadian Research Working Group for Evidence Based Practice for their support throughout the planning and execution of this project. Also, many thanks to all the career centre staff and leaders who contributed ideas and questions throughout this project.

DISCLAIMER:

Information on this site is for information purposes only and not intended to constitute professional advice as circumstances will vary from situation to situation. We are not responsible for the contents or reliability of any other websites to which we provide a link and do not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them.

This material may be used, reproduced, stored, or transmitted for non-commercial purposes. However, the authors’ copyright is to be acknowledged. It is not to be used, reproduced, stored, or transmitted for commercial purposes without written permission. Every reasonable effort has been made to identify the owners of copyright material reproduced in this publication and to comply with Canadian Copyright law. We would welcome any information regarding errors or omissions.