NEON in collaboration with The Evaluation Lab are delighted to welcome applications for the Evaluation – From Questions to Evidence professional development course, designed for colleagues who want to develop their knowledge, confidence and practical skills in evaluation.
The course provides a practical grounding in the principles and approaches that underpin effective evaluation. It explores how to understand what an intervention or programme is trying to achieve, develop appropriate evaluation questions, choose suitable approaches and methods, collect and analyse evidence, and use findings to support learning and improvement.
Across the programme, participants will explore:
- Understanding what evaluation is, why it matters and the different purposes it can serve
- Developing clear evaluation questions and approaches
- Using Theory of Change to understand how and why interventions are expected to work
- Understanding qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluation
- Selecting appropriate methods for collecting evidence
- Designing and using interviews, focus groups, questionnaires and other evaluation methods
- Analysing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative evidence
- Considering ethics, quality, validity and limitations in evaluation
- Developing clear and useful evaluation findings
- Reporting, communicating and using evidence to support learning, decision-making and improvement
Who is the course for?
Whether you are new to evaluation or looking to strengthen your existing practice, the course provides an opportunity to build your confidence, develop practical evaluation skills and deepen your understanding of how evaluation can generate useful evidence about what is working, for whom, why and how it could be improved.
Course structure
Delivered through eight online sessions, each lasting two hours, the course creates a structured space for learning, discussion and practical application.
Participants will also gain access to a dedicated online community of practice, enabling networking, peer support and knowledge sharing throughout the programme. Successfully completing the programme and submitting a reflective learning diary will lead to the award of NEON Evaluation Specialist Status.
Course dates
Sessions will take place online on the following dates:
- 9 December 2026
- 13 January 2027
- 10 February 2027
- 10 March 2027
- 14 April 2027
- 12 May 2027
- 9 June 2027
- 14 July 2027
All sessions will run from 10.00am to 12.00pm (subject to confirmation).
Places on the course are limited to ensure a high-quality and interactive learning experience.