Essex Museums Evaluation Planning Toolkit 2015
Pippa Smith, Handling the Past
Appendix 3 - Glossary of terms
Baseline evaluation
Describes your starting point
Closed question
A question that can be answered with 'yes' or 'no'
Evaluation
Judging against a previously agreed set of objectives or criteria in
order to assess impact
Formative evaluation
Used early on in a project to ensure it continues to meet audience
needs- differs from Front end as there is usually a tangible output to
respond to
Front-end evaluation
Used very early on to check that your plans meet audience needs
GLOs
Generic Learning Outcomes- defined by the Museums Libraries and
Archives Council as part of Inspiring Learning for All
GSOs
Generic Social Outcomes- defined by the Museums Libraries and
Archives Council as part of Inspiring Learning for All
ILFA
Inspiring learning for All (now Inspired learning). A self-help
improvement framework deigned by the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council http://www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk/
Longitudinal evaluation
Used several months after a project has finished to judge longer term
impacts
MLA
Museums Libraries and Archives Council was is a Non-Departmental
Public Body sponsored by the Department of Culture, Media and
Sport. It was abolished in 2012 with some key functions relating to
Museum support transferring to the Arts Council.
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/research-anddata/museums-and-libraries-research-resources/
Monitoring
Checking that a programme or project is being deliver to agreed
standards
Open question
A question that leads to a more in depth, descriptive answer
Outcome
What has changed as the result of a project (actions, thought,
feelings)
Output
What was produced as a result of the project
Profiling
Describing and understanding the make-up of your audience
Qualitative data
Observed, descriptive information
Quantitative data
Data that can be counted or measured
Summative evaluation
Used at the end of a project to show results
Triangulation
Double checking results by applying different evaluation methods