Evaluating your program > What to ask

What to ask

After a program is finished, you will want to know:

Did we do what we said we would do?
This information comes mainly from program records. For example, the number of times or hours the program was offered and the number of participants in the program.

What did we learn about what worked and what didn't work?
Probably not everything you did was equally successful. Deciding what worked or not is a matter of judgment, guided by what you hoped to achieve. Some questions to build on for this part of the evaluation are:

• What worked well to achieve each of your objectives for the program? Why?
• What did not work well? Why?
• What did you learn about organizing this kind of program?
• What did you learn about working with others in doing this program (if you worked with another organization)?

What difference did this program make?
To know if your program made a difference, you need some way to measure whether or not things have changed. You will also want to know if a change is linked to your program. Questions you may want to ask include:

• What changes of attitudes, knowledge, skills or behaviours did participants experience as a result of this program?
• What changes in attitudes, knowledge, skills or behaviours did we (the organizers) experience as a result of offering these programs?
• How did our involvement with the broader community change (if at all) as a result of these programs?
• In what ways has our centre become more activity-friendly for our members?

What could we do differently?
The answer to this question is the "lessons learned" section of your evaluation. Your findings will help you determine:

• What you would recommend to other groups offering this program
• What new skills and resources would be needed to improve this program
• What challenges would need attention if the program were offered again