Category: Evaluation

Indicators in Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E)

4/15/2014

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What is an Indicator?

An indicator can be defined as follows:

Signs or signals demonstrating whether a project or program is achieving desired results.
A benchmark or variable usually in quantitative or qualitative form used to observe progress and measure extent to which a program's or a project's outcomes and objectives are being met or have been met.
They are directly linked to meauring progress towards program or project objectives.
Particular characteristics or dimensions used to measure intended changes.

Types of Indicators (Performance indicators)

Input indicators
This type of indicators measure the quantity, quality and timeliness of resources-human, financial and material technological and information provided for a project, program or activity.

Process indicators
These measure the progress of activities in a program or project.

Output indicators
Output indicators measure the quantity, quality and timeliness of the products (goods or services) that are the result of an activity, project or program.

Outcome indicators
They measure the intermediate results generated by programme outputs. Correspond to any change in people's behaviour as a result of project or program activities.

Characteristics of a good indicator

Plausible: A good indicator ought to measure what is important in the project or program.
Attributable: A good indicator measures changes caused by the project or program.
Cost-effective: A good indicator employs inexpensive methods of data gathering.
Targeted: How much? What kind of? By when?
Verifiable: Reach agreement on results.

Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVIs)

Objectively verifiable indicators are signs or signals demonstrating whether each level of the vertical logic is or is not being achieved.
They must be valid, reliable, precise, cost-effective and stated independently from other levels. They ought to make clear how the target group will benefit from the realisation of outputs. Indicators should be specific in terms of: Quantity, Quality, Time, Target group and place.

Examples of Indicators

Environmental Indicators
Air indicators

Number of complaints about air quality per year.
Particulate matter in the air.
Air quality index.
Carbon Dioxide emissions from transportation.
Carbon Dioxide emissions by source.
Ratio of SO2 and smoke levels to EC limits (e.g. Iceland volcanic eruption).
Emissions of Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Air quality: CO, SO2, SPM and O3 measurements.
Number of days air pollutants exceed healthful levels.

Awareness Indicators

Number of participants in lets say an environmental farm plan program.
Percentage of the population who percieve pollution a priority.
Number of environmental education programs for communities.
Number of students passing environmental education test.
Number of environmental education programs at elementary school level.

Biodiversity indicators

Number of species at risk of lets say extinction
Proportion of species approaching target population size
Black rhino population
Number of elephants
Population of endemic species for which the region has key custodial role.
Human-wildlife conflict e.g. number of sheep killed by lets say Leopards in Kajiado County.

Land use indicators

Acres of land under integrated pest management.
Land use patterns.
Agricultural land loss as a result of desertification.
Open land lost to development in square KM.
Total area in significant land-use categories.
Number of acres of major terrestrial ecosystems.
Acre of cropland that have been converted to developed land.
Acreage of land used for streets.
Land area used for parks and wildlife reserves.
Forest land acres.
Loss of primary forests/ total primary forests remaining.
Number of acres of public open space.
Number of trees on public property.
Acres of environmentally sensitive areas.

Soil indicators

Soil organic matter content.
Soil erosion per acre of cropland.
Area of land affected by soil erosion and salinity.

Surface water indicators

Percentage of estuarine areas not suitable for shellfish harvesting.
Quality of river water entering the country/quality leaving the country.
Number of days all beaches are open for swimming.
Percentage of sreams for clean drinking water.
Fecal coliform count in surface water.
Miles of rivers not suitable for fishing due to toxins.
Percentage area of lakes fully suitalble for subsitence use.
Index of watershed naturalness.
Bernie Fowler's Sneaker Index-water clarity.
Compliance with dissolved oxygen standards.
River compliance with metals water standards.
Phosphorous concentration in county streams.

Groundwater Indicators

Water levels in acquifer wells.
Monitored wells showing groundwater contamination.
Groundwater quality index.
New septic tank permits.

Wetlands Indicators

Acres of natural and restored wetlands.
Size and distribution of significant wetlands.

Health Indicators

Oral rehydration therapy use rate.
Percent of households storing drinking water safely.
Percent of households using improved toilet facility.
Percent of households with access to an improved source of drinking water.
Percent of children aged 12-23 months fully immunized before 12 months.
Contraceptive use among married women 15-49, Total traditional methods (%).
Contraceptive use among single sexually active women aged 15-19, modern methods (%).
Contraceptive use among single sexually active women ages 20-24, modern methods (%).
Women ages 20-24 giving birth by age 18 (%).
Most recent births occuring less than 24 months after prior births (%).
Knowledge of family planning among married women 15-49, modern methods (%).
Demand for family planning satisfied (%).
HIV/AIDS among adult population ages 15-49 (%).
HIV/AIDS among males ages 15-49 (%).
HIV/AIDS among females ages 15-49 (%) among other indicators not mentioned.

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EVALUATION: THE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES

2/3/2014

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Evaluations are divided into two broad categories:

Formative and,
Summative.

1. FORMATIVE EVALUATION
Sometimes refered to as internal evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a project or programme while the project/ programme is in progress (Continual improvement). Helps the evaluators and project managers find out how well goals and objectives are being met. The main purpose is to identify deficiecnies resulting in the instigation of corrective measure hence ensuring that the project achieves its milestones and eventualy the targets. Employs more of qualitative methods of inquiry.

Examples where it can be applied are:

Effectiveness of lets say a family planning commercial,
Uptake of Contraceptive use,
Trainer of trainers effectiveness,
Analyzing the learning materials of lets say an environmental training programme.

Formative Evaluation is a building process where new components of kills, materials and problems accumulate-Proper learning interventions are required in order to master the new skills and knowledge.

Questions that Formative Evaluation seeks to answer are:

Do people appear to be learning what they are being trained on by the program?
What seems to be working? Not working? For whom? and why?
Are the trainees participating in all the sessions? if not, why?
To what extent is the target audience lets say in a Family Planning program responding to may be the program commercial in the media?
How is the target audience interpreting the information from the commercials?

2. SUMMATIVE EVALUATION
Takes place following project implementation (summation). Sometimes refered to as external, it is associated with more objective and quantitative methods with the focus being on the outcome. Some of the instruments used to collect the data are Questionnaires, Surveys, Interviews, Observations and Testings among others. Methodology used to gather data ought to be specified, carefully designed and carefully executed to guarantee accurate and valid data.

Application
Can be applied on virtually all programs such as Health programs, Environmental programs, Educational programs, Humanitarian programs among others where the program managers and evaluators seek to find out their impact or whether their objecctives materilaised.

Examples of questions which summative evaluation seeks to answer are:

Given the results, was the program worth the costs?
Do participants use lets say contraceptives as a result of the program?
To what extent did Lets say the Family planning program commercials lead to behaviour changes in the target audience?

REFERENCES

http://evaluationtoolbox.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=19
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/types_of_evaluations.html
Rossett, Allison & Sheldon, Kendra (2001). Beyond the Podium: Delivering Training and Performance to a Digital World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer
http://omerad.msu.edu/meded/progeval/step4.html

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Indicators in Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E)

What is an Indicator?

Types of Indicators (Performance indicators)

Characteristics of a good indicator

Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVIs)

Examples of Indicators

EVALUATION: THE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES

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