All of the program coordinators agreed that the process of evaluating our programs had been extremely worthwhile. As individuals we were able to reflect both on the process of the evaluation in our programs and on the product - the tools we used and the results we obtained.

Adult Literacy Volunteer Tutor Program Evaluation Kit

Advantages

These were the most frequently cited positive comments about the Program Evaluation Kit (see Table 4 for a summary).

The Process

1. Raised Awareness of the Need for Evaluation
While we all had some sense that the concept of evaluation was "a good thing," participating in this project raised our awareness considerably about the need for evaluation. In other words, the very fact of doing program evaluation sensitized us more fully to the benefits and advantages to our programs of doing regular evaluation.

2. Provided a Structure
We all agreed that the kit, especially the program questionnaire, provided structure for discussion. One coordinator suggested that it "created the space to allow other things to happen"; another said that it "put the pause button on and allowed us to look at the program".

As coordinators, we all felt that the group meetings held to work on the program questionnaires were an excellent way of bringing members of the organization together for a valuable self-inspection. Students, tutors, staff and Board or Advisory Committee members were able to learn