definition of evaluation by different authors

evaluation practice and systems that go beyond the criteria and their definitions. Incorporating assessment of the wider socio-economic impact began using metrics-based indicators such as Intellectual Property registered and commercial income generated (Australian Research Council 2008). The inherent technical disparities between the two different software packages and the adjustment . Perhaps the most extended definition of evaluation has been supplied by C.E.Beeby (1977). Also called evaluative writing, evaluative essay or report, and critical evaluation essay . If impact is short-lived and has come and gone within an assessment period, how will it be viewed and considered? 0000012122 00000 n 6. The transition to routine capture of impact data not only requires the development of tools and systems to help with implementation but also a cultural change to develop practices, currently undertaken by a few to be incorporated as standard behaviour among researchers and universities. What are the challenges associated with understanding and evaluating research impact? 2005; Wooding et al. There is . 2007) who concluded that the researchers and case studies could provide enough qualitative and quantitative evidence for reviewers to assess the impact arising from their research (Duryea et al. Consortia for Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information, for example, has put together a data dictionary with the aim of setting the standards for terminology used to describe impact and indicators that can be incorporated into systems internationally and seems to be building a certain momentum in this area. Assessment refers to a related series of measures used to determine a complex attribute of an individual or group of individuals. Cb)5. Researchers were asked to evidence the economic, societal, environmental, and cultural impact of their research within broad categories, which were then verified by an expert panel (Duryea et al. And also that people who are recognized as authors, understand their responsibility and accountability for what is being published. A comparative analysis of these definitions reveal that in defining performance appraisal they were saying the same thing, but in a slightly modified way. HEIs overview. Even where we can evidence changes and benefits linked to our research, understanding the causal relationship may be difficult. Here we outline a few of the most notable models that demonstrate the contrast in approaches available. It is possible to incorporate both metrics and narratives within systems, for example, within the Research Outcomes System and Researchfish, currently used by several of the UK research councils to allow impacts to be recorded; although recording narratives has the advantage of allowing some context to be documented, it may make the evidence less flexible for use by different stakeholder groups (which include government, funding bodies, research assessment agencies, research providers, and user communities) for whom the purpose of analysis may vary (Davies et al. One way in which change of opinion and user perceptions can be evidenced is by gathering of stakeholder and user testimonies or undertaking surveys. The case study approach, recommended by the RQF, was combined with significance and reach as criteria for assessment. This article aims to explore what is understood by the term research impact and to provide a comprehensive assimilation of available literature and information, drawing on global experiences to understand the potential for methods and frameworks of impact assessment being implemented for UK impact assessment. What are the reasons behind trying to understand and evaluate research impact? The fast-moving developments in the field of altmetrics (or alternative metrics) are providing a richer understanding of how research is being used, viewed, and moved. 0000001883 00000 n If metrics are available as impact evidence, they should, where possible, also capture any baseline or control data. Impact is not static, it will develop and change over time, and this development may be an increase or decrease in the current degree of impact. The most appropriate type of evaluation will vary according to the stakeholder whom we are wishing to inform. For systems to be able to capture a full range of systems, definitions and categories of impact need to be determined that can be incorporated into system development. 0000348082 00000 n 1. The time lag between research and impact varies enormously. To understand the socio-economic value of research and subsequently inform funding decisions. From the outset, we note that the understanding of the term impact differs between users and audiences. In many instances, controls are not feasible as we cannot look at what impact would have occurred if a piece of research had not taken place; however, indications of the picture before and after impact are valuable and worth collecting for impact that can be predicted. This raises the questions of whether UK business and industry should not invest in the research that will deliver them impacts and who will fund basic research if not the government? The criteria for assessment were also supported by a model developed by Brunel for measurement of impact that used similar measures defined as depth and spread. Attempting to evaluate impact to justify expenditure, showcase our work, and inform future funding decisions will only prove to be a valuable use of time and resources if we can take measures to ensure that assessment attempts will not ultimately have a negative influence on the impact of our research. Evaluate means to assess the value of something. Wooding et al. Findings from a Research Impact Pilot, Institutional Strategies for Capturing Socio-Economic Impact of Research, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Introducing Productive Interactions in Social Impact Assessment, Measuring the Impact of Publicly Funded Research, Department of Education, Science and Training, Statement on the Research Excellence Framework Proposals, Handbook on the Theory and Practice of Program Evaluation, Policy and Practice Impacts of Research Funded by the Economic Social Research Council. These case studies were reviewed by expert panels and, as with the RQF, they found that it was possible to assess impact and develop impact profiles using the case study approach (REF2014 2010). For example, following the discovery of a new potential drug, preclinical work is required, followed by Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials, and then regulatory approval is granted before the drug is used to deliver potential health benefits. Teacher Education: Pre-Service and In-Service, Introduction to Educational Research Methodology, Teacher Education: Pre-Service & In-Service, Difference and Relationship Between Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation in Education, Concept and Importance of Measurement Assessment and Evaluation in Education, Purpose, Aims and Objective of Assessment and Evaluation in Education, Main Types of Assessment in Education and their Purposes, Main Types of Evaluation in Education with Examples, Critical Review of Current Evaluation Practices B.Ed Notes, Compare and Contrast Formative and Summative Evaluation in Curriculum Development B.ED Notes, Difference Between Prognostic and Diagnostic Evaluation in Education with Examples, Similarities and Difference Between Norm-Referenced Test and Criterion-Referenced Test with Examples, Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation in Education, Difference between Blooms Taxonomy and Revised Blooms Taxonomy by Anderson 2001, Cognitive Affective and Psychomotor Domains of Learning Revised Blooms Taxonomy 2001, Revised Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, 7 Types and Forms of Questions with its Advantages, VSA, SA, ET, Objective Type and Situation Based Questions, Definition and Characteristics of Achievement Test B.Ed Notes, Steps, Procedure and Uses of Achievement Test B.Ed Notes, Meaning, Types and Characteristics of diagnostic test in Education B.ED Notes, Advantages and Disadvantages of Diagnostic Test in Education B.ED Notes, Types of Tasks: Projects, Assignments, Performances B.ED Notes, Need and Importance of CCE: Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation B.Ed Notes, Characteristics & Problems Faced by Teachers in Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation, Meaning and Construction of Process Oriented Tools B.ED Notes, Components, Advantages and Disadvantages of Observation Schedule, Observation Techniques of Checklist and Rating Scale, Advantages and Disadvantages of Checklist and Rating Scale, Anecdotal Records Advantages and Disadvantages B.ED Notes, Types and Importance of Group Processes and Group Dynamics, Types, Uses, Advantages & Disadvantages of Sociometric Techniques, Stages of Group Processes & Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning, Assessment Criteria of Social Skills in Collaborative or Cooperative Learning Situations, Portfolio Assessment: Meaning, Scope and Uses for Students Performance, Different Methods and Steps Involved in Developing Assessment Portfolio, Characteristics & Development of Rubrics as Tools of Assessment, Types of Rubrics as an Assessment Tool B.ED Notes, Advantages and Disadvantages of Rubrics in Assessment, Types & Importance of Descriptive Statistics B.ED Notes, What is the Difference Between Descriptive and Inferential Statistics with Examples, Central Tendency and Variability Measures & Difference, What are the Different Types of Graphical Representation & its importance for Performance Assessment, Properties and Uses of Normal Probability Curve (NPC) in Interpretation of Test Scores, Meaning & Types of Grading System in Education, Grading System in Education Advantages and Disadvantages B.ED Notes, 7 Types of Feedback in Education & Advantages and Disadvantages, Role of Feedback in Teaching Learning Process, How to Identify Learners Strengths and Weaknesses, Difference between Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning in Tabular Form, Critical Review of Current Evaluation Practices and their Assumptions about Learning and Development, The Concept of Test, Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation in Education. One might consider that by funding excellent research, impacts (including those that are unforeseen) will follow, and traditionally, assessment of university research focused on academic quality and productivity. 0000001325 00000 n (2007), Nason et al. To understand the method and routes by which research leads to impacts to maximize on the findings that come out of research and develop better ways of delivering impact. The book also explores how different aspects of citizenship, such as attitudes towards diverse population groups and concerns for social issues, relate to classical definitions of norm-based citizenship from the political sciences. An alternative approach was suggested for the RQF in Australia, where it was proposed that types of impact be compared rather than impact from specific disciplines. Organizations may be interested in reviewing and assessing research impact for one or more of the aforementioned purposes and this will influence the way in which evaluation is approached. 0000007559 00000 n Replicated from (Hughes and Martin 2012). What are the challenges associated with understanding and evaluating research impact? 0000002109 00000 n The university imparts information, but it imparts it imaginatively. 0000334705 00000 n Test, measurement, and evaluation are concepts used in education to explain how the progress of learning and the final learning outcomes of students are assessed. Downloadable! In education, the term assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. It is acknowledged that one of the outcomes of developing new knowledge through research can be knowledge creep where new data or information becomes accepted and gets absorbed over time. Evaluative research has many benefits, including identifying whether a product works as intended, and uncovering areas for improvement within your solution. 2007). The definition problem in evaluation has been around for decades (as early as Carter, 1971), and multiple definitions of evaluation have been offered throughout the years (see Table 1 for some examples). Any tool for impact evaluation needs to be flexible, such that it enables access to impact data for a variety of purposes (Scoble et al. Citations (outside of academia) and documentation can be used as evidence to demonstrate the use research findings in developing new ideas and products for example. It is important to emphasize that Not everyone within the higher education sector itself is convinced that evaluation of higher education activity is a worthwhile task (Kelly and McNicoll 2011). The Payback Framework has been adopted internationally, largely within the health sector, by organizations such as the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Dutch Public Health Authority, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Welfare Bureau in Hong Kong (Bernstein et al. The Author 2013. Aspects of impact, such as value of Intellectual Property, are currently recorded by universities in the UK through their Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey return to Higher Education Statistics Agency; however, as with other public and charitable sector organizations, showcasing impact is an important part of attracting and retaining donors and support (Kelly and McNicoll 2011). It is worth considering the degree to which indicators are defined and provide broader definitions with greater flexibility. , . 2009; Russell Group 2009). In developing the UK REF, HEFCE commissioned a report, in 2009, from RAND to review international practice for assessing research impact and provide recommendations to inform the development of the REF. RAND selected four frameworks to represent the international arena (Grant et al. Although metrics can provide evidence of quantitative changes or impacts from our research, they are unable to adequately provide evidence of the qualitative impacts that take place and hence are not suitable for all of the impact we will encounter. The transfer of information electronically can be traced and reviewed to provide data on where and to whom research findings are going. The first attempt globally to comprehensively capture the socio-economic impact of research across all disciplines was undertaken for the Australian Research Quality Framework (RQF), using a case study approach. Differences between these two assessments include the removal of indicators of esteem and the addition of assessment of socio-economic research impact. Co-author. This database of evidence needs to establish both where impact can be directly attributed to a piece of research as well as various contributions to impact made during the pathway. Clearly there is the possibility that the potential new drug will fail at any one of these phases but each phase can be classed as an interim impact of the original discovery work on route to the delivery of health benefits, but the time at which an impact assessment takes place will influence the degree of impact that has taken place. Impact is assessed alongside research outputs and environment to provide an evaluation of research taking place within an institution. Definition of evaluation. The development of tools and systems for assisting with impact evaluation would be very valuable. n.d.). Collecting this type of evidence is time-consuming, and again, it can be difficult to gather the required evidence retrospectively when, for example, the appropriate user group might have dispersed. To demonstrate to government, stakeholders, and the wider public the value of research. It is therefore in an institutions interest to have a process by which all the necessary information is captured to enable a story to be developed in the absence of a researcher who may have left the employment of the institution. 0000002318 00000 n This distinction is not so clear in impact assessments outside of the UK, where academic outputs and socio-economic impacts are often viewed as one, to give an overall assessment of value and change created through research. Classroom Assessment -- (sometime referred to as Course-based Assessment) - is a process of gathering data on student learning during the educational experience, designed to help the instructor determine which concepts or skills the students are not learning well, so that steps may be taken to improve the students' learning while the course is Again the objective and perspective of the individuals and organizations assessing impact will be key to understanding how temporal and dissipated impact will be valued in comparison with longer-term impact. The reasoning behind the move towards assessing research impact is undoubtedly complex, involving both political and socio-economic factors, but, nevertheless, we can differentiate between four primary purposes. Research findings including outputs (e.g., presentations and publications), Communications and interactions with stakeholders and the wider public (emails, visits, workshops, media publicity, etc), Feedback from stakeholders and communication summaries (e.g., testimonials and altmetrics), Research developments (based on stakeholder input and discussions), Outcomes (e.g., commercial and cultural, citations), Impacts (changes, e.g., behavioural and economic). The following decisions may be made with the aid of evaluation. The case study does present evidence from a particular perspective and may need to be adapted for use with different stakeholders. 0000002868 00000 n The REF will therefore assess three aspects of research: Research impact is assessed in two formats, first, through an impact template that describes the approach to enabling impact within a unit of assessment, and second, using impact case studies that describe the impact taking place following excellent research within a unit of assessment (REF2014 2011a). The RQF pioneered the case study approach to assessing research impact; however, with a change in government in 2007, this framework was never implemented in Australia, although it has since been taken up and adapted for the UK REF. Decker et al. They aim to enable the instructors to determine how much the learners have understood what the teacher has taught in the class and how much they can apply the knowledge of what has been taught in the class as well. 0000008241 00000 n Frameworks for assessing impact have been designed and are employed at an organizational level addressing the specific requirements of the organization and stakeholders. More details on SROI can be found in A guide to Social Return on Investment produced by The SROI Network (2012). Clearly the impact of thalidomide would have been viewed very differently in the 1950s compared with the 1960s or today. These techniques have the potential to provide a transformation in data capture and impact assessment (Jones and Grant 2013). If this research is to be assessed alongside more applied research, it is important that we are able to at least determine the contribution of basic research. The Value of Public Sector R&D, Assessing impacts of higher education systems, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, Through a Glass, Darkly: Measuring the Social Value of Universities, Describing the Impact of Health Research: A Research Impact Framework, LSE Public Policy Group. Here we address types of evidence that need to be captured to enable an overview of impact to be developed. There are areas of basic research where the impacts are so far removed from the research or are impractical to demonstrate; in these cases, it might be prudent to accept the limitations of impact assessment, and provide the potential for exclusion in appropriate circumstances. According to Hanna- " The process of gathering and interpreted evidence changes in the behavior of all students as they progress through school is called evaluation". 2010). There is a distinction between academic impact understood as the intellectual contribution to ones field of study within academia and external socio-economic impact beyond academia. 60 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 63 /H [ 1325 558 ] /L 397637 /E 348326 /N 12 /T 396319 >> endobj xref 60 37 0000000016 00000 n Any information on the context of the data will be valuable to understanding the degree to which impact has taken place. They are often written with a reader from a particular stakeholder group in mind and will present a view of impact from a particular perspective. The University and College Union (University and College Union 2011) organized a petition calling on the UK funding councils to withdraw the inclusion of impact assessment from the REF proposals once plans for the new assessment of university research were released. evaluation of these different kinds of evaluands. 0000348060 00000 n The basic purpose of both measurement assessment and evaluation is to determine the needs of all the learners. In viewing impact evaluations it is important to consider not only who has evaluated the work but the purpose of the evaluation to determine the limits and relevance of an assessment exercise. 5. While aspects of impact can be adequately interpreted using metrics, narratives, and other evidence, the mixed-method case study approach is an excellent means of pulling all available information, data, and evidence together, allowing a comprehensive summary of the impact within context. stream %PDF-1.4 % Indicators, evidence, and impact within systems, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 2012, http://www.arc.gov.au/pdf/ERA_Indicator_Principles.pdf, http://www.charitystar.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Return_on_donations_a_white_paper_on_charity_impact_measurement.pdf, http://www.oecd.org/science/innovationinsciencetechnologyandindustry/37450246.pdf, http://www.cahs-acss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ROI_FullReport.pdf, http://mice.cerch.kcl.ac.uk/wp-uploads/2011/07/MICE_report_Goldsmiths_final.pdf, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=409614§ioncode=26, http://www.odi.org.uk/rapid/Events/ESRC/docs/background_paper.pdf, http://www.iscintelligence.com/archivos_subidos/usfacultyburden_5.pdf, http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/tag/claire-donovan/, http://www.atn.edu.au/docs/Research%20Global%20-%20Measuring%20the%20impact%20of%20research.pdf, http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-099.pdf, http://www.esf.org/index.php?eID=tx_ccdamdl_file&p[file]=25668&p[dl]=1&p[pid]=6767&p[site]=European%20Science%20Foundation&p[t]=1351858982&hash=93e987c5832f10aeee3911bac23b4e0f&l=en, http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2007/RAND_RB9202.pdf, http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/2010/RAND_DB578.pdf, http://ukirc.ac.uk/object/report/8025/doc/CIHE_0612ImpactReport_summary.pdf, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=415340§ioncode=26, http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/80096%20NCCPE%20Social%20Value%20Report.pdf, http://www2.lse.ac.uk/government/research/resgroups/LSEPublicPolicy/Docs/LSE_Impact_Handbook_April_2011.pdf, http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/documents/publications/340.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/researchexcellenceframeworkimpactpilotexercisefindingsoftheexpertpanels/re01_10.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions/02_11.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions/GOS%20including%20addendum.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/panelcriteriaandworkingmethods/01_12.pdf, http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/uploads/REF-consultation-response-FINAL-Dec09.pdf, http://www.siampi.eu/Pages/SIA/12/625.bGFuZz1FTkc.html, http://www.siampi.eu/Content/SIAMPI/SIAMPI_Final%20report.pdf, http://www.thesroinetwork.org/publications/doc_details/241-a-guide-to-social-return-on-investment-2012, http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/n/q/ucu_REFstatement_finalsignatures.pdf, http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Case_Study_of_the_Future_of_Work_Programme_Volume_2_tcm8-4563.pdf, Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic, Automated collation of evidence is difficult, Allows evidence to be contextualized and a story told, Incorporating perspective can make it difficult to assess critically, Enables assessment in the absence of quantitative data, Preserves distinctive account or disciplinary perspective, Rewards those who can write well, and/or afford to pay for external input. The definition of health is not just a theoretical issue, because it has many implications for practice, policy, and health services. The authors propose a new definition for measurement process based on the identification of the type of measurand and other metrological elements at each measurement process identified. 1. Other approaches to impact evaluation such as contribution analysis, process tracing, qualitative comparative analysis, and theory-based evaluation designs (e.g., Stern, Stame, Mayne, Forss, & Befani, 2012) do not necessarily employ explicit counterfactual logic for causal inference and do not introduce observation-based definitions. This report, prepared by one of the evaluation team members (Richard Flaman), presents a non-exhaustive review definitions of primarily decentralization, and to a lesser extent decentralization as linked to local governance. 0000342980 00000 n An evaluation essay is a composition that offers value judgments about a particular subject according to a set of criteria. Narratives can be used to describe impact; the use of narratives enables a story to be told and the impact to be placed in context and can make good use of qualitative information. This is particularly recognized in the development of new government policy where findings can influence policy debate and policy change, without recognition of the contributing research (Davies et al. Understand. The origin is from the Latin term 'valere' meaning "be strong, be well; be of value, or be worth". 2009), and differentiating between the various major and minor contributions that lead to impact is a significant challenge. Published by Oxford University Press. Assessment is the collection of relevant information that may be relied on for making decisions., 3. What emerged on testing the MICE taxonomy (Cooke and Nadim 2011), by mapping impacts from case studies, was that detailed categorization of impact was found to be too prescriptive. While assessments are often equated with traditional testsespecially the standardized tests developed by testing companies and administered to large populations . While defining the terminology used to understand impact and indicators will enable comparable data to be stored and shared between organizations, we would recommend that any categorization of impacts be flexible such that impacts arising from non-standard routes can be placed. Impact is derived not only from targeted research but from serendipitous findings, good fortune, and complex networks interacting and translating knowledge and research.

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