i-EVAL

i-EVAL is an online platform for the evaluation of  international youth exchanges. Participants and staff perform a self-evaluation of their exchange by filling in questionnaires. The results, which remain anonymous (see data privacy declaration), can be processed for statistical or presentation purposes. The tool is free to use, thanks to funding by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

i-EVAL was developed and funded by the Franco-German and Polish-German Youth Offices with assistance from IJAB, the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany and a joint research group from the Protestant University Ludwigsburg and Cologne University of Applied Sciences.

i-EVAL can be used by young people and full-time and volunteer staff to complete an online questionnaire on their smartphones or any other device by themselves, thereby providing anonymous feedback on the exchange either during or after the activity. It provides youth exchange organisers as well as central offices and umbrella organisations with a body of data that they can process for statistical and presentation purposes. For instance, the feedback from all exchanges that took place over a certain period, such as a year, can be compiled to produce an overall evaluation of that period. This can serve as a basis for quality improvement when planning and implementing future youth exchanges. Organisations can employ the results of the evaluations

• to engage in joint quality and concept development with their partners,
• to conduct scientific analyses (e.g. by exporting the data for use in a research project or study),
• to engage in PR, and
• for political purposes in international youth work contexts.

The questionnaires for international youth exchanges are currently available in German, French, Polish, English and Ukrainian. The following questionnaire types are available:

• Youth exchange
• Youth exchange in a vocational training context
• Training / expert event

On request, modules can be added to some of the questionnaire types, for instance for exchanges involving cultural education or multilateral youth exchanges. Organisations can also add their own items to the questionnaire. In 2019, a short questionnaire version for youth exchanges was added. i-EVAL questionnaires can be extended and adapted to reflect new themes, with emphasis always given to ease of use.

Youth exchanges are not the only type of activity that can be evaluated. The online platform i-EVAL-Freizeiten i-eval-freizeiten.de can be used to evaluate holiday camps for children and adolescents as well as youth holidays. The platform uses the same system as i-EVAL, with participants and staff completing standardised questionnaires.

Would you like to be sent up-to-date information on these two evaluation tools as well as news, information on new publications and event announcements? If so, please go to https://freizeitenevaluation.de/service/newsletter/ and sign up to the newsletter, which is sent out approximately four times a year.