A two-year study. Three universities. Randomised controlled trials. And the result?

The intervention didn't work. But that isn’t the end of the story.

Evaluation can be about assessing the value of something. But value isn’t just one thing. Understanding this has implications for what we evaluate, and the ethics behind it.

So, let me explain it simply, by asking “is this car good?”.

Budgets for evaluation are being slashed. I’ve seen this first hand in Higher Education Institutions, and I’m betting it’s happening elsewhere too.

But the need for measuring impact and evaluative work remains. So what is the solution?

Last month I wrote a guest article for TASO about how to write a Theory of Change using their Mapping Outcome and Activities Tools (MOATs).

In it, I described how writing a Theory of Change in some ways is like writing a pop song.

For me, evaluation is part art, part science.