Multiple methods for workshop evaluation

Evaluation is a necessary component of all training, including workshops. Evaluation can provide information about the teaching and learning that occur during a workshop and document the extent to which long-term objectives were achieved after a workshop. Multiple methods for evaluating the process and outcomes of a regional workshop on Program Planning and Management for Malaria Control were developed and implemented by an evaluation team composed of African program managers and technical assistance partners, all of whom served as workshop trainers. Among the five methods used to assess the process of workshop implementation and participant satisfaction, a questionnaire administered at the close of the two-week workshop was found least useful in improving the training. Much more useful were the results of daily trainers' meetings and of two qualitative evaluation methods: large group feedback sessions and focused group discussions. Among the three methods used to evaluate the workshop outcomes, a review of the quality of the pre- and post-workshop national malaria control program plans by a panel of experts was found to be the most useful in providing information about the extent to which learning objectives were achieved. The involvement of trainers in evaluation activities permitted immediate action based on results. Our experience suggests that during brief workshops, evaluation should not compete with training activities for time and resources but must be considered an essential part of the curriculum. Effective and efficient workshop evaluation will require advance planning by trainers, support and training in evaluation methods for all members of the evaluation team, and advance consideration of how evaluation results will be summarized and translated into action.