definition of evaluation by different authors

The following decisions may be made with the aid of evaluation. Evaluation research aimed at determining the overall merit, worth, or value of a program or policy derives its utility from being explicitly judgment-oriented. Johnston (Johnston 1995) notes that by developing relationships between researchers and industry, new research strategies can be developed. If impact is short-lived and has come and gone within an assessment period, how will it be viewed and considered? 1. 0000001862 00000 n Citations (outside of academia) and documentation can be used as evidence to demonstrate the use research findings in developing new ideas and products for example. These metrics may be used in the UK to understand the benefits of research within academia and are often incorporated into the broader perspective of impact seen internationally, for example, within the Excellence in Research for Australia and using Star Metrics in the USA, in which quantitative measures are used to assess impact, for example, publications, citation, and research income. Assessment for learning is ongoing, and requires deep involvement on the part of the learner in clarifying outcomes, monitoring on-going learning, collecting evidence and presenting evidence of learning to others.. It is desirable that the assignation of administrative tasks to researchers is limited, and therefore, to assist the tracking and collating of impact data, systems are being developed involving numerous projects and developments internationally, including Star Metrics in the USA, the ERC (European Research Council) Research Information System, and Lattes in Brazil (Lane 2010; Mugabushaka and Papazoglou 2012). To understand the socio-economic value of research and subsequently inform funding decisions. There has been a drive from the UK government through Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Research Councils (HM Treasury 2004) to account for the spending of public money by demonstrating the value of research to tax payers, voters, and the public in terms of socio-economic benefits (European Science Foundation 2009), in effect, justifying this expenditure (Davies Nutley, and Walter 2005; Hanney and Gonzlez-Block 2011). As Donovan (2011) comments, Impact is a strong weapon for making an evidence based case to governments for enhanced research support. 0000328114 00000 n Definition of Assessment & Evaluation in Education by Different Authors with Its Characteristics, Evaluation is the collection, analysis and interpretation of information about any aspect of a programme of education, as part of a recognised process of judging its effectiveness, its efficiency and any other outcomes it may have., 2. evaluation of these different kinds of evaluands. Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning. The term "assessment" may be defined in multiple ways by different individuals or institutions, perhaps with different goals. What are the challenges associated with understanding and evaluating research impact? The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of 3D rendering of the mandibular condylar region obtained from different semi-automatic segmentation methodology. It has been acknowledged that outstanding leaps forward in knowledge and understanding come from immersing in a background of intellectual thinking that one is able to see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. Understanding what impact looks like across the various strands of research and the variety of indicators and proxies used to evidence impact will be important to developing a meaningful assessment. The current definition of health, formulated by the WHO, is no longer adequate for dealing with the new challenges in health care systems. Where quantitative data were available, for example, audience numbers or book sales, these numbers rarely reflected the degree of impact, as no context or baseline was available. Systems need to be able to capture links between and evidence of the full pathway from research to impact, including knowledge exchange, outputs, outcomes, and interim impacts, to allow the route to impact to be traced. In the UK, evaluation of academic and broader socio-economic impact takes place separately. (2007) surveyed researchers in the US top research institutions during 2005; the survey of more than 6000 researchers found that, on average, more than 40% of their time was spent doing administrative tasks. Test, measurement, and evaluation are concepts used in education to explain how the progress of learning and the final learning outcomes of students are assessed. Donovan (2011) asserts that there should be no disincentive for conducting basic research. Ideally, systems within universities internationally would be able to share data allowing direct comparisons, accurate storage of information developed in collaborations, and transfer of comparable data as researchers move between institutions. 2007). These techniques have the potential to provide a transformation in data capture and impact assessment (Jones and Grant 2013). Evaluation of impact is becoming increasingly important, both within the UK and internationally, and research and development into impact evaluation continues, for example, researchers at Brunel have developed the concept of depth and spread further into the Brunel Impact Device for Evaluation, which also assesses the degree of separation between research and impact (Scoble et al. HEIs overview. The term comes from the French word 'valuer', meaning "to find the value of". In this case, a specific definition may be required, for example, in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Assessment framework and guidance on submissions (REF2014 2011b), which defines impact as, an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia. In designing systems and tools for collating data related to impact, it is important to consider who will populate the database and ensure that the time and capability required for capture of information is considered. This distinction is not so clear in impact assessments outside of the UK, where academic outputs and socio-economic impacts are often viewed as one, to give an overall assessment of value and change created through research. The Payback Framework enables health and medical research and impact to be linked and the process by which impact occurs to be traced. We take a more focused look at the impact component of the UK Research Excellence Framework taking place in 2014 and some of the challenges to evaluating impact and the role that systems might play in the future for capturing the links between research and impact and the requirements we have for these systems. This involves gathering and interpreting information about student level of attainment of learning goals., 2. 2008; CAHS 2009; Spaapen et al. Evaluation is a process which is continuous as well as comprehensive and involves all the tasks of education and not merely tests, measurements, and examination. This distinction is not so clear in impact assessments outside of the UK, where academic outputs and socio-economic impacts are often viewed as one, to give an overall assessment of value and change created through research. This is a metric that has been used within the charitable sector (Berg and Mnsson 2011) and also features as evidence in the REF guidance for panel D (REF2014 2012). It has been suggested that a major problem in arriving at a definition of evaluation is confusion with related terms such as measurement, The ability to record and log these type of data is important for enabling the path from research to impact to be established and the development of systems that can capture this would be very valuable. It is concerned with both the evaluation of achievement and its enhancement. It is very important to make sure people who have contributed to a paper, are given credit as authors. What are the methodologies and frameworks that have been employed globally to assess research impact and how do these compare? Table 1 summarizes some of the advantages and disadvantages of the case study approach. This might include the citation of a piece of research in policy documents or reference to a piece of research being cited within the media. There is . Every piece of research results in a unique tapestry of impact and despite the MICE taxonomy having more than 100 indicators, it was found that these did not suffice. Enhancing Impact. Different authors have different notions of educational evaluation. This article aims to explore what is understood by the term research impact and to provide a comprehensive assimilation of available literature and information, drawing on global experiences to understand the potential for methods and frameworks of impact assessment being implemented for UK impact assessment. What are the reasons behind trying to understand and evaluate research impact? A total of 10 Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) were selected to perform semi-automatic segmentation of the condyles by using three free-source software (Invesalius, version 3.0.0, Centro de Tecnologia da . trailer << /Size 97 /Info 56 0 R /Root 61 0 R /Prev 396309 /ID[<8e25eff8b2a14de14f726c982689692f><7a12c7ae849dc37acf9c7481d18bb8c5>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 61 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 55 0 R /Metadata 57 0 R /AcroForm 62 0 R >> endobj 62 0 obj << /Fields [ ] /DR << /Font << /ZaDb 38 0 R /Helv 39 0 R >> /Encoding << /PDFDocEncoding 40 0 R >> >> /DA (/Helv 0 Tf 0 g ) >> endobj 95 0 obj << /S 414 /T 529 /V 585 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 96 0 R >> stream In terms of research impact, organizations and stakeholders may be interested in specific aspects of impact, dependent on their focus. However, the Achilles heel of any such attempt, as critics suggest, is the creation of a system that rewards what it can measure and codify, with the knock-on effect of directing research projects to deliver within the measures and categories that reward. 4. % In developing the UK REF, HEFCE commissioned a report, in 2009, from RAND to review international practice for assessing research impact and provide recommendations to inform the development of the REF. Understand. 0000001883 00000 n 4 0 obj 2007). In development of the RQF, The Allen Consulting Group (2005) highlighted that defining a time lag between research and impact was difficult. These case studies were reviewed by expert panels and, as with the RQF, they found that it was possible to assess impact and develop impact profiles using the case study approach (REF2014 2010). Key features of the adapted criteria . 0000342798 00000 n What indicators, evidence, and impacts need to be captured within developing systems? They risk being monetized or converted into a lowest common denominator in an attempt to compare the cost of a new theatre against that of a hospital. The University and College Union (University and College Union 2011) organized a petition calling on the UK funding councils to withdraw the inclusion of impact assessment from the REF proposals once plans for the new assessment of university research were released. The transition to routine capture of impact data not only requires the development of tools and systems to help with implementation but also a cultural change to develop practices, currently undertaken by a few to be incorporated as standard behaviour among researchers and universities. A discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of a range of evaluation tools (bibliometrics, economic rate of return, peer review, case study, logic modelling, and benchmarking) can be found in the article by Grant (2006). (2008), and Hanney and Gonzlez-Block (2011). 0000346296 00000 n %PDF-1.4 % (2005), Wooding et al. This transdisciplinary way of thinking about evaluation provides a constant source of innovative ideas for improving how we evaluate. The Payback Framework systematically links research with the associated benefits (Scoble et al. 0000001087 00000 n However, there has been recognition that this time window may be insufficient in some instances, with architecture being granted an additional 5-year period (REF2014 2012); why only architecture has been granted this dispensation is not clear, when similar cases could be made for medicine, physics, or even English literature. Introduction, what is meant by impact? A very different approach known as Social Impact Assessment Methods for research and funding instruments through the study of Productive Interactions (SIAMPI) was developed from the Dutch project Evaluating Research in Context and has a central theme of capturing productive interactions between researchers and stakeholders by analysing the networks that evolve during research programmes (Spaapen and Drooge, 2011; Spaapen et al. CERIF (Common European Research Information Format) was developed for this purpose, first released in 1991; a number of projects and systems across Europe such as the ERC Research Information System (Mugabushaka and Papazoglou 2012) are being developed as CERIF-compatible. n.d.). 0000008675 00000 n This work was supported by Jisc [DIINN10]. The authors propose a new definition for measurement process based on the identification of the type of measurand and other metrological elements at each measurement process identified. This petition was signed by 17,570 academics (52,409 academics were returned to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise), including Nobel laureates and Fellows of the Royal Society (University and College Union 2011). From the outset, we note that the understanding of the term impact differs between users and audiences. 0000007967 00000 n 2. RAND Europe, Capturing Research Impacts. It is time-intensive to both assimilate and review case studies and we therefore need to ensure that the resources required for this type of evaluation are justified by the knowledge gained. However, the . 1. It is acknowledged that one of the outcomes of developing new knowledge through research can be knowledge creep where new data or information becomes accepted and gets absorbed over time. A comprehensive assessment of impact itself is not undertaken with SIAMPI, which make it a less-suitable method where showcasing the benefits of research is desirable or where this justification of funding based on impact is required. To demonstrate to government, stakeholders, and the wider public the value of research. The exploitation of research to provide impact occurs through a complex variety of processes, individuals, and organizations, and therefore, attributing the contribution made by a specific individual, piece of research, funding, strategy, or organization to an impact is not straight forward. Any person who has made a significant . A university which fails in this respect has no reason for existence. The difficulty then is how to determine what the contribution has been in the absence of adequate evidence and how we ensure that research that results in impacts that cannot be evidenced is valued and supported. Impact assessments raise concerns over the steer of research towards disciplines and topics in which impact is more easily evidenced and that provide economic impacts that could subsequently lead to a devaluation of blue skies research. 0000011585 00000 n This is being done for collation of academic impact and outputs, for example, Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools, which uses PubMed and text mining to cluster research projects, and STAR Metrics in the US, which uses administrative records and research outputs and is also being implemented by the ERC using data in the public domain (Mugabushaka and Papazoglou 2012). Indicators, evidence, and impact within systems, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 2012, http://www.arc.gov.au/pdf/ERA_Indicator_Principles.pdf, http://www.charitystar.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Return_on_donations_a_white_paper_on_charity_impact_measurement.pdf, http://www.oecd.org/science/innovationinsciencetechnologyandindustry/37450246.pdf, http://www.cahs-acss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ROI_FullReport.pdf, http://mice.cerch.kcl.ac.uk/wp-uploads/2011/07/MICE_report_Goldsmiths_final.pdf, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=409614§ioncode=26, http://www.odi.org.uk/rapid/Events/ESRC/docs/background_paper.pdf, http://www.iscintelligence.com/archivos_subidos/usfacultyburden_5.pdf, http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/tag/claire-donovan/, http://www.atn.edu.au/docs/Research%20Global%20-%20Measuring%20the%20impact%20of%20research.pdf, http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-099.pdf, http://www.esf.org/index.php?eID=tx_ccdamdl_file&p[file]=25668&p[dl]=1&p[pid]=6767&p[site]=European%20Science%20Foundation&p[t]=1351858982&hash=93e987c5832f10aeee3911bac23b4e0f&l=en, http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2007/RAND_RB9202.pdf, http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/2010/RAND_DB578.pdf, http://ukirc.ac.uk/object/report/8025/doc/CIHE_0612ImpactReport_summary.pdf, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=415340§ioncode=26, http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/80096%20NCCPE%20Social%20Value%20Report.pdf, http://www2.lse.ac.uk/government/research/resgroups/LSEPublicPolicy/Docs/LSE_Impact_Handbook_April_2011.pdf, http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/documents/publications/340.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/researchexcellenceframeworkimpactpilotexercisefindingsoftheexpertpanels/re01_10.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions/02_11.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions/GOS%20including%20addendum.pdf, http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/panelcriteriaandworkingmethods/01_12.pdf, http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/uploads/REF-consultation-response-FINAL-Dec09.pdf, http://www.siampi.eu/Pages/SIA/12/625.bGFuZz1FTkc.html, http://www.siampi.eu/Content/SIAMPI/SIAMPI_Final%20report.pdf, http://www.thesroinetwork.org/publications/doc_details/241-a-guide-to-social-return-on-investment-2012, http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/n/q/ucu_REFstatement_finalsignatures.pdf, http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Case_Study_of_the_Future_of_Work_Programme_Volume_2_tcm8-4563.pdf, Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic, Automated collation of evidence is difficult, Allows evidence to be contextualized and a story told, Incorporating perspective can make it difficult to assess critically, Enables assessment in the absence of quantitative data, Preserves distinctive account or disciplinary perspective, Rewards those who can write well, and/or afford to pay for external input. (2011) Maximising the Impacts of Your Research: A Handbook for Social Scientists (Pubd online) <, Lets Make Science Metrics More Scientific, Measuring Impact Under CERIF (MICE) Project Blog, Information systems of research funding agencies in the era of the Big Data. 0000008591 00000 n It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. It is possible to incorporate both metrics and narratives within systems, for example, within the Research Outcomes System and Researchfish, currently used by several of the UK research councils to allow impacts to be recorded; although recording narratives has the advantage of allowing some context to be documented, it may make the evidence less flexible for use by different stakeholder groups (which include government, funding bodies, research assessment agencies, research providers, and user communities) for whom the purpose of analysis may vary (Davies et al. Wooding et al. The RQF pioneered the case study approach to assessing research impact; however, with a change in government in 2007, this framework was never implemented in Australia, although it has since been taken up and adapted for the UK REF. 5. Perhaps, SROI indicates the desire to be able to demonstrate the monetary value of investment and impact by some organizations. The first category includes approaches that promote invalid or incomplete findings (referred to as pseudoevaluations), while the other three include approaches that agree, more or less, with the definition (i.e., Questions and/or Methods- 2007). Decker et al. The RQF was developed to demonstrate and justify public expenditure on research, and as part of this framework, a pilot assessment was undertaken by the Australian Technology Network. New Directions for Evaluation, Impact is a Strong Weapon for Making an Evidence-Based Case Study for Enhanced Research Support but a State-of-the-Art Approach to Measurement is Needed, The Limits of Nonprofit Impact: A Contingency Framework for Measuring Social Performance, Evaluation in National Research Funding Agencies: Approaches, Experiences and Case Studies, Methodologies for Assessing and Evidencing Research Impact. From 2014, research within UK universities and institutions will be assessed through the REF; this will replace the Research Assessment Exercise, which has been used to assess UK research since the 1980s. 8. HEFCE developed an initial methodology that was then tested through a pilot exercise. The understanding of the term impact varies considerably and as such the objectives of an impact assessment need to be thoroughly understood before evidence is collated. From an international perspective, this represents a step change in the comprehensive nature to which impact will be assessed within universities and research institutes, incorporating impact from across all research disciplines. Evaluation is the systematic collection and inter- pretation of evidence leading as a part of process to a judgement of value with a view to action., Evaluation is the application of a standard and a decision-making system to assessment data to produce judgments about the amount and adequacy of the learning that has taken place., 1. While aspects of impact can be adequately interpreted using metrics, narratives, and other evidence, the mixed-method case study approach is an excellent means of pulling all available information, data, and evidence together, allowing a comprehensive summary of the impact within context. Clearly the impact of thalidomide would have been viewed very differently in the 1950s compared with the 1960s or today. The criteria for assessment were also supported by a model developed by Brunel for measurement of impact that used similar measures defined as depth and spread. Classroom Assessment -- (sometime referred to as Course-based Assessment) - is a process of gathering data on student learning during the educational experience, designed to help the instructor determine which concepts or skills the students are not learning well, so that steps may be taken to improve the students' learning while the course is Again the objective and perspective of the individuals and organizations assessing impact will be key to understanding how temporal and dissipated impact will be valued in comparison with longer-term impact. We will focus attention towards generating results that enable boxes to be ticked rather than delivering real value for money and innovative research. 2005). 0000006922 00000 n In undertaking excellent research, we anticipate that great things will come and as such one of the fundamental reasons for undertaking research is that we will generate and transform knowledge that will benefit society as a whole. Metrics have commonly been used as a measure of impact, for example, in terms of profit made, number of jobs provided, number of trained personnel recruited, number of visitors to an exhibition, number of items purchased, and so on. According to Hanna- " The process of gathering and interpreted evidence changes in the behavior of all students as they progress through school is called evaluation". In many instances, controls are not feasible as we cannot look at what impact would have occurred if a piece of research had not taken place; however, indications of the picture before and after impact are valuable and worth collecting for impact that can be predicted. A Review of International Practice, HM Treasury, Department for Education and Skills, Department of Trade and Industry, Yes, Research can Inform Health Policy; But can we Bridge the Do-Knowing its been Done Gap?, Council for Industry and Higher Education, UK Innovation Research Centre. Although based on the RQF, the REF did not adopt all of the suggestions held within, for example, the option of allowing research groups to opt out of impact assessment should the nature or stage of research deem it unsuitable (Donovan 2008). Reviewing the research literature means finding, reading, and summarizing the published research relevant to your question. One way in which change of opinion and user perceptions can be evidenced is by gathering of stakeholder and user testimonies or undertaking surveys. The Oxford English Dictionary defines impact as a Marked effect or influence, this is clearly a very broad definition. On the societal impact of publicly funded Circular Bioeconomy research in Europe, Devices of evaluation: Institutionalization and impactIntroduction to the special issue, The rocky road to translational science: An analysis of Clinical and Translational Science Awards, The nexus between research impact and sustainability assessment: From stakeholders perspective. Case studies are ideal for showcasing impact, but should they be used to critically evaluate impact? These sometimes dissim- ilar views are due to the varied training and background of the writers in terms of their profession, concerned with different aspects of the education process. Assessment refers to the process of collecting information that reflects the performance of a student, school, classroom, or an academic system based on a set of standards, learning criteria, or curricula. The origin is from the Latin term 'valere' meaning "be strong, be well; be of value, or be worth". Aspects of impact, such as value of Intellectual Property, are currently recorded by universities in the UK through their Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey return to Higher Education Statistics Agency; however, as with other public and charitable sector organizations, showcasing impact is an important part of attracting and retaining donors and support (Kelly and McNicoll 2011). What is the Difference between Formative and Summative Evaluation through Example? This framework is intended to be used as a learning tool to develop a better understanding of how research interactions lead to social impact rather than as an assessment tool for judging, showcasing, or even linking impact to a specific piece of research. Differences between these two assessments include the removal of indicators of esteem and the addition of assessment of socio-economic research impact. What are the methodologies and frameworks that have been employed globally to evaluate research impact and how do these compare? Search for other works by this author on: A White Paper on Charity Impact Measurement, A Framework to Measure the Impact of Investments in Health Research, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Reports, Estimating the Economic Value to Societies of the Impact of Health Research: A Critical Review, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Panel on Return on Investment in Health Research, Making an Impact. 0000008241 00000 n To allow comparisons between institutions, identifying a comprehensive taxonomy of impact, and the evidence for it, that can be used universally is seen to be very valuable. Also called evaluative writing, evaluative essay or report, and critical evaluation essay .

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