A Self-Assessment Procedure for Use in Evaluation Training

Abstract

This article describes the Self-Assessment of Program Evaluation Expertise instrument and procedure developed to help participants assess their learning gains in a 3-week evaluation institute. Participants completed the instrument in a pre- and posttest format. To reduce both the threat of embarrassment from individual results and the temptation to inflate self-ratings, participants responded anonymously. Although each participant saw her or his individual results, only aggregated results were reported to the total group. The article reports on the self-assessment results of a group of recognized evaluation elders and participants in six annual evaluation institutes. The findings indicate that the instrument is sensitive to the respondents’ changed perceptions of competency following instruction. Strengths and limitations associated with the procedure are discussed. The procedure is presented as a work in progress and could benefit from adaptation, research, and development. The instrument is available at http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/ess/selfassess.html.