Evaluation has gained importance in German speaking countries throughout the last few years. Associated with this - apart from regional prevalence – is also the expansion of evaluation activities to new and partly varying fields of application, e.g. development policy, schools and institutions of higher education, vocational and entrepreneurial education, structural policy, media, environment, health, research and technology, administration and social services.

This is underpinned by a differentiation of evaluation approaches and evaluation methods. If evaluation a few decades ago was erstwhile limited to being the assessment of programmes and their effects, today it is also linked to approaches such as quality management or organizational development.

This development results in increasing need for discussions about theories, models and methods by those involved in research about evaluation, the implementation of  evaluation and the clients of evaluation. The foundation of DeGEval – Gesellschaft für Evaluation (Evaluation Society) in 1997 took account of this development and created a framework for continuous exchange between all those involved in evaluation or interested in questions about evaluation.  

Evaluation is the systematic analysis of the use or value of an object. Evaluation objects may be programmes, projects, products, measures, services, organisations, policy, technology or research. Results, conclusions or recommendations from evaluations need to be transparent and based on empirical analyses of qualitative or quantitative data (Standards für Evaluation, Köln 2002, p. 13)

Evaluation is thus accessible to all objectives and fields. Disciplinary working groups reflect at least part of the fields in which evaluation is of high significance. Further information can be found in the “Standards for Evaluation” published by DeGEval.  

The administrative office is at your disposal for all questions. Due to the variety of application fields it may not be possible to answer all specialist questions. Please understand that we cannot provide any recommendations regarding companies/ membersyou may wish to recruit. We recommend the following possibilities:

• Search our website to find the appropriate terminology or consult our FAQs.

• Send an article for the next  DeGEval…. Mail (electronic newsletter of DeGEval) to the editors. After having been editorially checked, your article will be sent to all members of DeGEval. The editor reserves the right to disclosure.

• For exchange of information, or if you seek advice, we recommend the discussion list “forum evaluation”, existing since 1997 and operated in co-operation with DeGEval. 

• As a member you have direct access to our extensive membership list, which includes fields of activities and presentations of our members and is available for full-text search. 

• If there is a working group on your issue, the working group speakers will be happy to help you.

„forum-evaluation“ is an open electronic discussion list on evaluation, available in German since 1997. This is how it works: a person registered on the list sends an email with a question or information to the server located at the University ofCologne. It is then automatically distributed to all persons registered. They read the email and can answer. 

At the moment about 600 persons interested in evaluation are registered. Topics from all fields of evaluation are discussed, event information is distributed and new publications are presented.

The information sent around (the „turnover“ of the list) is also called traffic. On average less than 5 messages per week were sent around during the last ten years; the list is a decidedly expert forum (see discussion lists).

“forum-evaluation” is provided by Dr. Wolfgang Beywl, coordinator of the training programme “evaluation” at the University of Bern and founder of Univation, Cologne, in co-operation with DeGEval.

Details about „forum-evaluation“and the registration process can be found on the following website.

DeGEval… Mail is the electronic newsletter of the DeGEval – Gesellschaft für Evaluation (Evaluation Society)

All members receive the newsletter at least once a month. You can easily (and at no cost) inform the growing number of members with DeGEval… Mail about your evaluation projects

• tenders
• search for co-operation for certain projects
• meetings and conferences
• publications
• job offers
• competitions
• press information
• etc, etc.

Send an email with the complete text (only text, no attachments –alternatively a link to your website is appreciated) with a request for dissemination via DeGEval…Mail to our editors.

The editor reserves the rights for acceptance, changes/shortening of text.

As a member you profit from the following services:

• You receive the bi-annual Journal for Evaluation (“Zeitschrift für Evaluation”) free of charge;
• You receive regularly the DeGEval… Mail (about 12x per year) that informs about current developments in the world of evaluation;
• You gain access to the protected internal area of the DeGEval web server containing various information about all areas of evaluation as well as a commented register of members;
• You may participate in DeGEval activities at discounted rate, for institutional members this discount applies for up to five persons;
• Institutional members are listed on our website by name and can, hence, show that they have committed themselves to the standards of evaluation and quality assurance;
• Over and above all the membership offers the opportunity to take an active role in the development of DeGEval and, hence, the future of evaluation in German speaking countries.

Contributions to annual meetings are partly published in the „Zeitschrift für Evaluation“, sometimes also in other magazines. Furthermore, some articles are also published online by the work groups or directly by DeGEval – Evaluation Society. First access is possible via the overview page. Full-text search might help in addition or direct contact with the work group.

The programme of the annual meetings (speakers, titles of the presentations) are usually also online after the meetings. Frequently links to the presentations can be found there. A regular systematic overview of all presentations is not available as this is not possible due to the different event formats of the workshops.

Start of registration to the annual meeting will be announced in time. On our website you will then find a registration form and any important information about the programme, accommodation, etc. As a member of DeGEval – Evaluation Society you may register on more favourable terms.

Subscribe to our newsletter or contact a member if you want to be informed in time.

Your company or organisation has the unique possibility during our annual meetings to increase awareness among the evaluation expert public in the German speaking areas. Clients, contractors and internal evaluation service providers of large institutions meet for information about recent methods, trainings or possible clients or contractors. Last time about 300 participants from Germany, Austria, the bordering countries as well as international organisations participated.

Your organization is welcome as sponsor.

Our Administrative Office will inform you about the possibilities of sponsoring or support or our activities.