PYB300 Chap.7 Process and Outcome Evaluation Plans
Process and Outcome Evaluation Plans
PYB300 limits the evaluation plan to two types: process evaluation, which asks whether activities were implemented as planned and produced the expected outputs, and outcome evaluation, which asks whether people in the target group actually changed as intended.
This chapter covers the seven points to answer for each, from focus questions to costs, works one outcome row through the template, and records the unit's two different instructions on how many questions to write.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Process evaluation versus outcome evaluation
- 02
Focus questions, indicators, data, timeline, roles, reporting and costs
- 03
Headline and subsidiary evaluation questions
- 04
Linking indicators to outcomes and outputs
- 05
Timing data collection from baseline to follow-up
- 06
Costing staff time and the unit's evaluation figure
Worked example · free
Fill one outcome evaluation row
- 1Subsidiary question: did participants report that a staff member at school knows about their caring role by the end of their group?
- 1Indicator: at least 70% of completing participants answer yes, copying the outcome's own target.
- 1Data: a brief survey at intake and at the final session, plus school check-in records kept by the coordinator.
- 1Timeline: baseline at intake, end-of-group survey in week 10, and a follow-up in week 22 to see whether recognition lasted.
Key terms
- Process evaluation
- An assessment of whether program activities were delivered as planned and produced the expected outputs.
- Outcome evaluation
- An assessment of how effective a program was in producing the intended change for its target population.
- Headline question
- The overall evaluation question for one evaluation type, which subsidiary questions break into checkable parts.
- Indicator of success
- The evidence that would show an evaluation question has been answered positively, ideally with a target value.
- Baseline measure
- Data collected before or at the start of a program so that later measures can show change.
Process and Outcome Evaluation Plans FAQ
How many evaluation questions does the prospectus need?
The unit's pages differ. According to the writing guide and the grant FAQ, each evaluation type needs two questions: a headline question plus a single subsidiary one. The Tutorial 5 slides ask for one headline and two subsidiary questions per section and say only the first two subsidiary questions are marked. Confirm the current requirement with your tutor.
Can process and outcome evaluation share one table?
No. The guide asks you to address each dot point separately for process and for outcome evaluation, even where the answers are similar, and not to combine the two. The unit's evaluation template provides one table for each type, with columns for indicators, data, timeline, who, reporting and estimated costs.
What should the evaluation cost?
Remember staff time for collecting, analysing and reporting data. Where costings shared by the partner differed from the instructions, the grant FAQ told teams to use the tutorial slides' figure of $70,000 a year for evaluation costs, and partner figures for other costs. Carry the same figure into the budget assumptions.
When should evaluation data be collected?
Plan collection points that let the evaluation show change. For outcome questions that means at least a baseline at or before intake and a measure when the program ends, with a later follow-up if the outcome is meant to last. Process data, such as attendance and session logs, is collected continuously during delivery and summarised at agreed reporting points.
Why does the guide mention the degree's statistics units?
Indicators, data sources and analysis are where research methods meet program planning. Choosing a measure that can detect change, deciding when to collect it and knowing how the results would be analysed all draw on the statistics and methods training of the Behavioural Science degree, which is why the guide expects it to help.
Exam move
Start the evaluation plan from your program logic: process questions come from the activities and outputs columns, outcome questions from the outcome columns. Write the headline question first, then narrow it with subsidiary questions that could each be answered from one data source.
Copy targets from your outcomes into the indicators, plan at least a baseline and an end-point measure for every outcome, and name a person responsible for each step. Check with your tutor which question count applies before you finalise, since the guide and the tutorial slides differ.
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