Table of Contents
Monitoring & evaluation
The evaluation process
During the implementation of a Heterotopia Tour you have to monitor and evaluate different aspects of the project. Frequent monitoring allows you to prevent risks, to manage problems in time, to ensure quality, and to anticipate possible situations that can influence your project.
General monitoring and evaluation plan can include:
| Aspect to monitor | Minimum frequency | Tools for monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Partnership – implementing partners Assess: - partners’ motivation and commitment level - fair task division - timely and quality implementation of tasks - respect and solidarity among partners - quality of communication between partners | Monthly | - Online and in-person meetings - Gantt chart with tasks, responsibilities and deadlines - Quality assurance guidelines with qualitative and quantitative Indicators - Written and signed agreement between partners about conditions and provisions of collaboration - Written reports |
| Management – logistics (accommodation, food, transport, materials) Assess: - timely and quality implementation of tasks - quality of services | Monthly Getting closer to the start of the Tour: more frequently During the Tour: daily | - Gantt chart with tasks, responsibilities and deadlines - Feedback from participants and from facilitators - Coordination staff meetings |
| Management – budget use Assess: - Budget efficiency (quality-price value) - Fair budget allocation (did any partner had justifiable over-costs that should be covered? ) - Budget efficiency | Monthly Getting closer to the start of the Tour: more frequently During the Tour: daily | - Budget plan divided in two parts: original budget plan and real budget - Reporting on budget use, with financial documents to verify the costs - Online partner meetings - Coordination staff meetings |
| Partnership – local partners - partners’ motivation and commitment level - timely and quality implementation of tasks/quality services - quality of communication between partners | Monthly Getting closer to the start of the Tour: more frequently During the Tour, in case of partners who are providing accommodation: daily | - Online and in-person meetings - Agreement stating the conditions and provisions of collaboration |
| Activity programme’s efficiency Assess: - The activities contribute to reach the participants’ learning objectives - The activities contribute to reach the project objectives - The methods used are suitable for participants - The time schedule of the activities is suitable for participants | Before the Tour: bi-weekly, starting from the preparatory activities During the Tour: daily After the Tour: bi-weekly, till the end of the follow-up activities | - Online and in-person consultations with youth workers during the preparation - Daily feedback from participants during the Tour - Daily monitoring meetings with facilitators during the Tour - Intermediate and final evaluation sessions |
| Facilitators’ work Assess: - Quality of support provided for participants before, during and after the Tour - Team working skills - Professional efficiency - Respect for the pedagogical methodology - Flexibility and immediate adaptability to participants’ needs | Before the Tour: bi-weekly, starting from the preparatory activities During the Tour: daily After the Tour: bi-weekly, till the end of the follow-up activities | - Online and in-person consultation with youth workers during the preparation - Daily feedback from participants - Daily monitoring meetings with facilitators - Intermediate and final evaluation sessions |
| Participants well-being Assess: - Physical well-being - Psychological well-being - Emotional well-being | Before the Tour: bi-weekly, starting from the preparatory activities During the Tour: daily After the Tour: bi-weekly, till the end of the follow-up activities | - Online and in-person consultation with youth workers during the preparation - Daily feedback from participants - Daily monitoring meetings with facilitators - Intermediate and final evaluation sessions |
| Participants’ learning achievements Assess: - How much the preparatory activities help to create a solid base for learning - How much the Tour contributes to reach participants’ learning objectives - Which objectives have been reached and which not yet - Competencies developed - Level of responsibility and contribution of participants - Changes in attitudes and behaviours of participants - How much the follow-up activities help participants to put into use the competencies acquired during the Tour | Before the Tour: bi-weekly, starting from the preparatory activities During the Tour: daily After the Tour: bi-weekly, till the end of the follow-up activities | - Daily reflection sessions with participants - Non-formal evaluation methods - Daily monitoring meetings with facilitators - Intermediate and final evaluation sessions |
| Level of achievement of objectives Assess: - The objectives of the activities have been reached or not - The objectives of the participants’ have been reached or not - The objectives of the project have been reached or not | During the Tour: daily After the Tour: monitoring moments 2 weeks, 1 months, 2 months, 6 months after the Tour | - Daily evaluation of activities - If necessary, ad-hoc evaluation after the activity - Intermediate and final evaluations with participants - Final report on indicators that measure the level of achievement of project objectives |
Besides monitoring the aspects that you and your partners can control, it is important to think about the external factors as well: we suggest you to make a risk analysis and risk prevention and management plan before the project. You can analyze the following aspects:
| Possible risk/situation | How does it influence the project | Level of probability | Level of damage/how serious is the problem it can cause | How to prevent it | How to manage it in case it happens |
As you see, the 1st table helps you to ensure quality and to get right back on track after a difficulty; the 2nd table facilitates problem solving and crisis prevention.
For information about impact evaluation please see Chapter 6 – Follow ups and dissemination.
A Matrix to stay the course
A Logical Framework Matrix created during the project design phase can be useful to monitor and evaluate during implementation whether you have reached the project’s objectives or not.
For creating a Logical Framework Matrix you will need to:
- Set clear objectives
- Describe the expected results that will contribute to reach the objectives
- Describe the specific activities that will produce the expected outcomes
- Set reasonable quantitative indicators that will measure the level of success
- Decide which proof you can provide to justify the reached results
- Analyze closely which circumstances you need for a successful implementation
You can find details to how to do it here: http://www.tools4dev.org/resources/logical-framework-logframe-template/).
As for any evaluation, be factual and upfront regarding the results. You don't need to convince yourselves that you are doing a good job; you create tools to identify what is going well and what isn't. Keep in mind that problem solving begins with the identification of problems, as well as real celebrations arise from honest assessments.
Tools to take the scope of one's learnings
Participants' learnings are at the core of any Heterotopia Tour. We expect from it to inspire them and to enable them to acquire knowledge and skills in various fields; some they expected, and some they didn't.
For this reason, it is decisive to develop and implement tools and methods that will allow them to acknowledge their learning and provide you information about the efficiency of your program from a pedagogical point of view.
From our experience, we advice you the following:
Mapping out one's skills and competences with a Radar
Reflecting on one's learning path with the Travel Diary and the Hero's Journey
