December 2023
Technology in Program Evaluation: Embracing the Last Two Decades
When I entered the field of program evaluation in 1999, paper surveys were the norm and literature reviews meant a trip to the nearest university library. Today, online portals have replaced paper surveys, and literature reviews can now be conducted on any handheld device. Yet constraints like limited human and financial resources and complex social issues surrounding program participants remain. Addressing these challenges involves continuous learning, adaptation, and innovation in evaluation.
As a practitioner, I have noted some shifts in evaluation in the past two decades. In my view, these include:
For many months, I have kept a list of tools in my tattered notebook (not very tech-forward, I know). I'm sharing these resources with the hope they may contribute to addressing some vexing issues evaluation practitioners face. Resources have been grouped into three broad categories: data collection, analysis & visualization, and writing & research. The recommendations are made with an eye to every evaluator's challenges, including time and resource limitations and multiple competing priorities. Included in the list are platforms that are free or have a free version, though sometimes this means limited functionality.
Data collection
Analysis & visualization
Writing & research papers
In the evaluation context, embracing technological advancements, accepting greater stakeholder involvement, and understanding complex social issues present the opportunity to have engaged, inclusive, and community-involved evaluations sensitive to a project's fiscal constraints.
(This article is the first in a three-part series. Part two covers the use of AI for evaluators and academics, and part three will speak to the benefits and pitfalls of social media in program evaluation.)