Assessing the Impact of Information Learnt from a Newsletter and a Training Seminar

Abstract

Contribution to a special issue on ‘Developing Evaluation Practice in the Information Sector’. Describes a methodology developed to evaluate two information products, a newsletter and a training seminar, of the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (NAMDEVCO). Surveys of recipients of the newsletter and participants in the seminar were carried out. Recipients were asked to recall information which had been learnt, whether it had been used and (in the case of the training seminar) whether use of the information had led to any benefit. Results indicate a fairly high level of newsletter readership and recall of articles in the newsletter. All who attended the seminar remembered it and most were able to recall interesting sessions. Many participants had adopted new practices from what they had learnt. Some were able to report benefits while others were anticipating benefits in the future.