Self-evaluation is a process of review and action applied to a chosen area of activity. It aims to establish the strengths of the activity, and to identify any actions that will bring about improvement.
The following steps are designed to assist you in setting up and carrying out a self-evaluation exercise. It is not prescriptive, but should aid you in putting in place a robust process, capable of measuring impact and highlighting areas for improvement.
'How Good is the Learning and Development in Our Community', or 'HGILDIOC', is designed to support evaluation of the quality of services delivered through Community Learning and Development (CLD) type approaches, in Scotland.
A report should be prepared on the self-evaluation (which could be as simple as a SWOT proforma written during the final review).
However, you might want to write a fuller report, depending on the purpose of the self-evaluation and the audience. It should recognise key strengths, and also identify development needs and priorities, and set measurable targets for improvement. You may wish to send a copy of the report not only to the stakeholders who took part in the self-evaluation, but also to other partners or agencies who might be interested in sharing good practice, or improving services.
Any actions in areas for improvement that are identified can be addressed straight away, or entered into a development plan to be addressed when possible.
It might also be useful to scan the chosen actions/priorities, and consider which could be taken to Community Planning or other joint planning structures for inclusion in their development plans.
