Building Evaluation Capability in the Public Health Workforce

Abstract

Building evaluation capability and capacity is a complex task involving enhancing and building technical skills and working closely with individuals and groups to ensure evaluation learning is embedded in organisational philosophy and practice. In this article, we present the evaluation findings of the ‘Easy Evaluation’ initiative, which provides evaluation training workshops and organisational coaching and support, in order to address our central question: Are evaluation training workshops effective and what else is needed?

The findings are organised in line with three levels of Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model: trainee reactions, learning and behaviour. The ‘reaction’ and ‘learning’ data indicate that workshops were found to be effective in developing positive responses and enhancing trainee learning for most participants. Evaluation data relating to ‘behaviour’ indicated that just over half the training participants, at least three months following the training, were implementing evaluation activities.

In summary, to build sustainable evaluation practice within organisations, training needs to be supplemented with other evaluation capacity-building strategies.