NEED DISCUSSION IN 15 HOURS or LESS

Respond to my CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION by stating

why you AGREE and share your thoughts on which you

think is more appropriate (internal or external evaluation).

Identify which type of evaluation you would recommend

for your grant proposal and why? Also ask at least one

question in response to an original peer post that you

would like the author to explore further.

CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION (Madeline)

Evaluating the Evaluation Component

Internal vs External Evaluation – Pros and Cons

Decide whether your organization should use the Internal Evaluation or the External evaluation.

Pros Internal Evaluation:

The Internal evaluation is when you "do it yourself" (HARC, 2016). The Internal evaluation is cheaper. The Internal assessment requires that staff and volunteers have the extra time needed to do the additional work of the internal review. We must be reminded not to overload the team.

• The Internal Evaluation is cheaper and does not require travel. • The Internal evaluation does not require collaboration, which makes the

process much faster.

The evaluation moves much faster when you do not have to take the time to explain and collaborate with the other team. Internal evaluations eliminate the possibility of miscommunication when you do the work yourself.

Cons Internal Evaluation:

The use of the internal evaluation differs from the expertise of the external review, leaving room for basic mistakes. There is also a perceived lack of objectivity; striving to be objective may look to outsiders as a personal pat on your back. With the Internal evaluation, there is also a need for outside-box thinking because you are so accustomed

to the program you may not recognize the outcomes that have occurred or are emerging.

Pros External evaluation:

When the program hires an External Evaluator, they will work with an experienced evaluator with expert skills in the evaluation profession.

• The expert program director will collaborate with the External evaluator to evaluate the organization. The External evaluator is educated in this field and is highly experienced and skilled.

• There is a perceived objectivity in hiring a third-party evaluator; it is like having stamped approval, and the results are recognized more seriously.

• The results of using an External evaluator give the program an outside-the- box perspective because the "evaluator is removed one step and can see changes that have happened that may go unnoticed or unmeasured by you and your team" (Harc, 2016).

Cons External Evaluation:

• External evaluations are expensive, but you will get professional analysis, which is what you paid for.

• External evaluations require collaboration, which is excellent and significant when done correctly. However, the external assessment takes time and effort for both the program and the external evaluator, putting the evaluation at risk of miscommunication between the teams becoming familiar.

Whether you use Internal or External evaluation depends on the program's capabilities, resources, and subject matter. If you consider an internal review, consider hiring an evaluation consultant; it is cheaper than a complete external evaluation and will retain many positive aspects like outside-the-box thinking. You will maintain internal control over the process, which is more affordable than a thorough external evaluation. Some questions you may want to ask the evaluation consultant are (1) advice on creating a solid evaluation plan for a significant proposal you are submitting, (2) During the initial meeting, ask for assistance identifying your desired outcome and how to measure progress towards these goals. (3) Ask for recommendations on methods or instrument choices and proof statistics and reports.

If you are considering an external evaluation, do not hire the cheapest bidder but strive to hire the right evaluator.

Consider the evaluator's expertise and experience evaluating projects like yours or similar ones. It is good to see work samples and know their familiarity with your program language and concepts of your work.

Check on the external evaluators' experience and track record. It is a good idea to have someone with a wide variety of techniques available to them. You must hire an external evaluator with whom you can work closely.

Because of the organization's small size that I propose, I would choose to hire a professional evaluation consultant for exposure to their knowledge and perfection in program evaluation. The cheaper evaluation consultant's fees will align with my program budgeting and allow me to gain more knowledge and know-how as I become a more experienced director and internal program evaluator.

Reference HARC (2016). Internal vs External Evaluation https://harcdata.org/internalvsLinks to an external site. external-evaluation/