Page 275 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

which a person possesses a certain attribute, as when one receives a score of 85 on a test. However, such a
measurement does not determine quality or worth. These systems require experimental designs, data
collection, and statistical analysis of the data. The term “assessment” can also mean estimating or judging the
value of the data collected, as in nutrition assessment.21,22

Evaluation, on the other hand, is based on the measurement of what people know, think, feel, and do.
Evaluation compares the observed value or quality with a standard or criterion of comparison. Evaluation is
the process of forming value judgments about the quality of programs, products, goals, and the like from the
data. One may evaluate the success of an educational program, for example, by measuring the degree to which
goals or objectives were achieved. Evaluation goes beyond measurement to the formation of value judgments
about the data. To be effective, evaluation designs should specify not only what will be evaluated but also
when it will be evaluated, such as the score difference between a pretest and a posttest.

Purpose of Evaluation

Careful evaluation should be an integral part of all nutrition education programs and employee training
programs. There are several purposes of evaluation. One cannot make judgments about effectiveness without
it. Program evaluation may be used for planning, improvement, and justification. As a system of quality
control, it can determine whether the process of education is effective, identify its strengths and weaknesses,
and determine what changes should be made. To determine accountability, one needs to know whether
people are learning, whether trainers are teaching effectively, whether programs accomplish the desired
outcomes, and whether money is well spent. In times of limited financial resources, accountability requires an
examination of cost–benefit ratios. Is the program useful and valuable enough to justify the cost? Is there
evidence that training is changing employee behavior on the job and contributing to the bottom line? It is
important to determine whether the learning objectives were accomplished and whether the individual learned
what was intended or developed in desired ways.

Evaluation helps nutrition professionals make better decisions and improve education. It is helpful in
making decisions concerning teaching, learning, program effectiveness, and the necessity of making
modifications in current efforts or even of terminating them. Evaluation provides evidence that what you are
doing is worthwhile. Plans for evaluation should be made early in the planning stages of an educational
endeavor and not after it has begun or is completed. One evaluation system is the “logic model” that uses
categories of input, activities, and outcomes to describe a flow process throughout the education or
intervention process.23

With employees, training evaluation should show improved job performance and financial results. Another
question often asked is “Does training transfer?” One needs to determine whether the skills and knowledge
taught in training are applied on the job. If they are, this demonstrates the value of the training to the
organization, and the effectiveness of the method of training. If not, change is needed.

As with other parts of his adult education model, Malcolm Knowles suggested that evaluation should be a
mutual undertaking between the educator and the learner. He recommends less emphasis on the evaluation of
learning and more on the rediagnosis of learning needs, which suggests immediate or future steps to be taken
jointly by the dietetics professional and the client or employee. This type of feedback from evaluation becomes
more constructive and acceptable to adults. Thus, evaluation may be considered something you should do with

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