Final Report of the Expert Group - European Commission - Europa

4.4. Evaluation and impactThis Section aims to provide an overview of the tools that are currently used for theevaluation of quality and effectiveness of these programmes, and of existing research aimingto measure their final impact.- Evaluation of programmesAny evaluation of student company programmes will aim to measure or assess:a. Competencies acquired by the students;b. Developed attitudes and intentions towards entrepreneurship;c. Appreciation of the programme by the students.Not all student company programmes undergo a regular evaluation, although in most casesfeedback from teachers and students is gathered during the programme and/or at the end of it.This can be considered as the simplest and most commonly used methodology of evaluation,and is developed by means of tools such as:• Self evaluation by the students through questionnaires;• Students drafting documents and reports during the project, to be assessed by teachers,business advisors or staff from the organisation promoting the programme;• Reviews of the performance of the students, and of the mini-company as a whole, byteachers or business advisors;• Questionnaires to be completed by teachers.A number of programmes combine two evaluation tools: a general survey based on aquestionnaire compiled by students, and a written report where students are asked to evaluatetheir specific experience in order to provide a more qualitative assessment.Also, as the teacher in these programmes is a facilitator who follows the various stages ofactivity of the mini-company, supports the students and provides help and advice during thewhole process, a direct and immediate evaluation can be made by the teacher/trainer on thebasis of constant observation: how students perform assigned tasks, the initiative they show,how they solve practical problems, etc.A survey on participating students should be preferably carried out both at the beginning ofthe activity and at the end, in order to be able to measure changes in attitudes and new skillsacquired (both generic skills and business skills). Some programmes regularly carry outtelephone interviews with a sample of students at the end of the school year.A useful measure suggested in order to maximise the results of evaluation is that surveysaiming to detect progress in the acquisition of competences and attitudes be compared withinformation from sample groups of students who were not involved in mini-companyprogrammes, therefore highlighting the added value for students of participating in theactivity.Programmes operating within the structure of the national curriculum are more likely to beregularly evaluated, for instance by means of examinations (like in Austria, whereprogrammes are part of the state final exam) or through evaluation of the quality of teachingand learning in schools made by public inspectors (this is the case for instance in Ireland).36