It's about the plan: how to ensure that your program evaluation gives you the results you need

This presentation will discuss a recent year-long evaluation of the College Outreach Program at the University of California, San Diego. We will discuss our evaluation process from creating a plan to designing and implementing it. While results and next steps will be included, the focus of the presentation will be on the process used to create the evaluation. We spent the first six months clarifying evaluation questions, identifying stakeholders, selecting methods, and designing instruments. The time spent planning the evaluation proved to be invaluable as it provided focus and ensured that information could be used to make a decision about future outreach activities. Attendees will leave this presentation with a clear understanding of the importance of having an evaluation plan and steps they can take to create one to evaluate a program within their own institution.