Student Leadership Programs - Division of Student Life - Tarleton State University

Program Evaluation | Planning a Program | Community Service

If your group is like most organizations, you have the challenge of reinventing a program that has become a tradition with your organization. Leaving a detailed and complete program evaluation will not only help next year's event coordinators but future coordinators in years to come.

Below is a sample evaluation outline that has proven helpful with many programs. Feel free to revise the evaluation form for your program or organization.


I . Introduction A. Program coordinator name, position, event and date
B. History of program (paragraph or two)

II. Statistical Information
A. Demographics
1. participants (whatever information you have available)
a. gender
b. classification
c. race/ethnicity
d. college/major

2. recruitment efforts (include any copies of materials used--advertisements, letters, email messages, web pages, etc.)
a. publicity (dates, type, targeted audience)
(1) advertisements
(2) as graphics
(3) other
b. promotion (dates, type, targeted audience)
(1) articles
(2) press releases
(3) electronic mail messages
(4) other

3. retention efforts (dates, type, targeted audience)
a. mailings
b. phone calls
c. other

III. Participant Evaluations
The participants of the program should have completed an evaluation; include a copy of evaluations compiled in this report as an appendix (do not include all the evaluations, just the compilation). Write a paragraph or two highlighting the participant evaluations. If other evaluative comments were sought, explain the nature of the comments (verbal, other written notes, etc.) and the compiled comments.

IV. Organization Evaluation
The program should be evaluated in an organizational meeting or an evaluation form should have been completed by the attendees. Compile a written evaluation sheet and include it in the appendix (do not include all the evaluations, just the compilation). Write a few notes on how you felt the event went and any personal feedback you may have received from others.

V. Coordinators Evaluation
A. This is your opportunity to evaluate your own performance as well as the program/event (in a paragraph or two).
B. In this section write:
1. the goals you set for the event
2. if you achieved the goals, you didn’t achieve them or they are still in progress); and
3. the explanation of how the goal was achieved, why it was not achieved or how it is still in progress.

VI. Recommendations
List a few specific recommendations for the program. Make sure you include updated materials such as the redesigned flier. Include dates or a calendar for when the recommendations should be completed, who should implement the recommendations and how.

VII. Learning
This is your opportunity to reflect on your experience as the program coordinator. This section may include what you learned from working on this program. How can you apply this experience for future work situations? What would you share with future coordinators to make their job easier? Look through old program notebooks to see how other reports have been completed before writing your final report. A draft should be shown to your adviser for constructive feedback. A final copy should be placed in the transition notebook and given to all officers, your adviser, and a copy kept for yourself.