Consumer Education

Quality approaches and evaluation

The purpose of evaluation is to measure and make judgements about the level of success of Consumer Education. It provides useful information for the participants, the trainers and the financing institutions among others. Evaluation also supports pedagogical practice before, during and after educational activities are implemented. Design of effective evaluation of Consumer Education should determine:

Who evaluates: the participants, the teacher/facilitator, the financing institution, other experts or decision makers within Consumer Education What is evaluated: the contents of the course/activity: e.g. if they were clear and adequate for the target groups and their expectations; the process: e.g. the pedagogical process, reactions of the participants; the results: e.g. achievement of the objectives of the activity When to evaluate: at one or more of mainly four stages:

o Initial: before the course/activity starts o Continuous: during the implementation of the activity o Final: at the end of the activity o Deferred: some time after the course/activity has finished.
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Why to evaluate: the reasons for evaluation which can be diagnostic to gain understanding of a particular situation/target group, formative to know if it is necessary to make changes when the learning process is occurring, or summative to know if the target group has achieved the objectives of the activity. How to evaluate: the instruments and techniques used to obtain data about the previous elements specified. Some possibilities are observation (which normally requires observation guides or logbooks), survey (written questionnaires or phone interview), face-to-face interviews, focus group interviews, analysis of documents (e.g. course materials or projects developed by the participants).

The Evaluation itself should also be evaluated. That is: it is important to consider if the evaluation methodologies implemented were adequate, if the moments chosen for evaluation were the appropriate ones, if there was any important element of the Consumer Education activity that was not evaluated, and if the evaluation would benefit from being organised in a different way should it be carried out again. Benchmarks can be used to secure that Consumer Education has the minimum quality standards required, with evaluation being the strategy used to determine whether the benchmarks are reached. The table below shows basic benchmarks to be considered as quality approaches to Consumer Education. Benchmarks in Consumer Education The minimal standard of course design is secured Participants engage in analysis of course design and evaluation Evaluation is part of the programme requirements Feedback to participants is provided in a timely manner Participants interaction with other students and the teacher/facilitator is provided for in different ways Diverse learning methods are used The learning methods aim to foster interaction rather than merely provide information.

Course development benchmarks

Teaching/learning benchmarks

Participants are given appropriate information about the programme to determine their level of motivation and to know if it is meaningful and interesting for them Course structure benchmarks Participants questions are answered accurately and quickly Participants complaints are dealt with and recorded Evaluation and assessment benchmarks The teaching/learning process is assessed through one or more evaluation strategies Intended learning outcomes are reviewed regularly to ensure clarity, utility and appropriateness

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