FER Q & A Answers to last minute questions you may have about writing Final Evaluation Reports (FER) for your project

I have never written a FER – where can I find resources to help me? TCEC website has: Materials from the regional trainings Recorded webinar Sample evaluation reports

What do I need to get started? Your plan Rating form in Tell Your Story CX results Evaluation write-ups Progress reports etclaims.co.uk/tag/compensation/

Who is my audience? Project staff Stakeholders Other TC projects TCEC reviewers Other end-users (policymakers, etc.)

What’s a good writing process? Follow rating form sections A word on “Evaluation Methods” section: Intro paragraph: explain overall design You may want to separate process and outcome evaluation Describe sampling, data collection, and analysis for EACH evaluation activity

How do I report on multi-site evaluation? Describe overall approach Wherever approach and results differed by site (intervention and/or data collection activities), briefly describe those differences

What should I do if an activity was in the plan but we didn’t do it? Happens with intervention and evaluation activities Address it, don’t ignore it Explain situation Discuss deliverables with PC Mention any substitute deliverables

What if we did an additional evaluation activity that was not in the plan? Report on what you can given your resources Note that it is additional to the original plan Explain reasons why not fully carried out/ analyzed

How do I report negative results? Data that showed no or negative change Objective not achieved Same as positive results – objectively Report the data Provide possible explanations and make recommendations

What should I do if I lost some data? Don’t guess or “try” to remember Explain context and steps taken to remedy the situation Mention under data collection instruments’ and procedures’ limitations

Should I include contact information of people we interviewed or surveyed? No, FERS are public documents! Instead, use position/ role of individuals OK to mention names of events, businesses, venues, organizations that adopt policies

Can I write a combined report for all objectives? No, each objective needs its own report Each report is a deliverable

Does the project director need to get involved in the FER writing? Yes, collaboration between project directors and evaluators is imperative istockphoto.com

What is the difference between a brief and final evaluation report? Brief reports: Are not scored Need less detail Think “essential” Think “to the point” Think “most relevant”

Reports are due June 30!!! If you still need advice, give us a call