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The Evaluation Exchange
We are a partnership between UCL and voluntary and community sector organisations in Camden and east London that aims to improve evaluation practice.
17 March 2022
What is the Evaluation Exchange?
The Evaluation Exchange brings together voluntary and community sector groups wanting to improve their capacity to evaluate their work, with postgraduate students and researchers who want to put their research and evaluation skills into practice in a real-life setting. It is a 6 month structured programme co-produced between UCL, Compost London and Voluntary Action Camden.
Our aim is to build the evaluation capacity of organisations and researchers. Postgraduate students and researchers work collaboratively with organisations based in or working with communities in the London Boroughs of Newham and Camden. This year, 13 voluntary and community sector organisations each worked with a small team of postgraduate students and researchers to solve an evaluation challenge the organisation identified as needing to be addressed.
To find out why we run the programme, who has been involved this year and what’s happened, take a look at the information below, including our blogs.
- Students and researchers: Why should I get involved?
An apportunity for you and those you work with
The Evaluation Exchange is an opportunity for you to enhance your research and evaluation skills outside of a university setting - a real world application of your knowledge that has the potential to make a difference to the workings of voluntary and community sector organisations. You will help embed the use of successful evaluation approaches leading to a lasting change in practice and making a valued contribution to an organisation.You will also be meeting and connecting with individuals outside of the university, establishing a new network. You will enhance your research and evaluation skills, tap into the workings of community and voluntary sector organisations, and have the opportunity to enhance your experience outside of the typical university setting.
The Evaluation Exchange is worth 6 points on the doctoral skills development programme.
Read about the key impacts and lessons learnt from the Evaluation Exchange 2017/18 and Evaluation Exchange 2021/22.Training and support
After matching you with a suitable organisation, we will provide training throughout the programme to help you make the most out of your experience. We will also be on hand to provide ad hoc support and advice throughout the programme.Who can apply
Any postgraduate researcher at UCL who is keen to expand their skills outside of a university can apply to this programme - the only stipulation is that you must commit to a minimum of two days per month on this six-month project including being able to attend the relevant training days. The training days are listed in the application form.- Organisations: Why should I get involved?
An opportunity for you and those you work with
The Evaluation Exchange aims to help voluntary and community organisations, in Camden and Newham, build evaluation and learning into their work. By matching you to a team of UCL researchers, you will work collaboratively with them to tackle your evaluation challenge. Working together you can develop appropriate learning systems that help you understand what is going well and not so well and demonstrate the value of your organisation’s services. The team of researchers matched to your organisation will have a variety of backgrounds and interests and will be keen to learn from you too.Training and support
We can help you think through whether your evaluation challenge is appropriate for the Evaluation Exchange. If you would like to discuss your idea please get in touch before the deadline.If you participate in the Evaluation Exchange, we can also help you prepare for the researchers working with you. We provide training over the six-month programme to help you make the most out of your experience. We will also be on hand to provide ad hoc support and advice.
Who can apply
Voluntary and community sector organisations in Camden and Newham are eligible to apply. We ask that you are able to commit to a minimum of one day per month on this six-month programme and be able to attend the relevant training events listed on the application form.- Our training
- Overview of the training we offer.
- Timeline
- 23 June 2021: Applications close
- End of July 2021: Find out if you will be participating in this year's Evaluation Exchange
- September 2021: First training for organisations in Newham with their teams of researchers
- October 2021: First training for organisations in Camden with their teams of researchers
- March/April 2022: Placements end
- April 2022: Celebration symposium
Find out more
- Who we’ve worked with and what happened
- Women + Health
Skills Enterprise
Wac Arts
Street Storage
Subco Trust
Lifeafterhummus
- Read our blogs
- What is the long-lasting impact of participating in the Evaluation Exchange? Previous UCL students share their experience.
- Making time for evaluation and learning: top tips when resources are tight
- Blogs from the Evaluation Exchange pilot
- Evaluation Exchange taster sessions for voluntary and community sector organisations
- Why cross disciplinary work is crucial for building researchers' skills and expertise
- The Evaluation Exchange launches in Newham
- Working with an organisation undergoing transition
- Ready, set, go! The Evaluation Exchange has launched in Camden
- Evaluation Exchange: Reflecting and Adapting to Constant Change in Social Enterprises
- Evaluation Exchange: There's a place you can go
- Evaluation Exchange: Deaf Community Empowerment and Campaigning
- Ideas to actions: the Evaluation Exchange
- Evaluation Exchange: Kentish Town City Farm
- Evaluation Exchange: Supporting Vulnerable Residents in Diverse Communities
- Evaluation Exchange: Women + Health
- Evaluation Exchange: designing surveys to capture the support 'Skills Enterprise' offers in Newham
- Evaluation Exchange: Lifeafterhummus
- Evaluation Exchange: Wac Arts empowering young people to change their world through the arts
- Evaluation Exchange: Who are Street Storage?
- Evaluation Exchange: Calthorpe Community Garden - Relax, Play, Eat
- Watch our videos
- Get in touch
- FAQs
I am a postgraduate researcher and want to apply
Applications to participate in the Evaluation Exchange have now closed.
Please contact Ruth if you have any questions or want to learn more.
I am an organisation and I want to apply
Applications for organisations to participate in the Evaluation Exchange have now closed.
Please contact Ruth if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Who we work with
The Evaluation Exchange is delivered with Compost London and run with Voluntary Action Camden.
The Evaluation Exchange is part of the IoE led programme, ISIKLE.
- People
Project leads: Dr Gemma Moore and Ruth Unstead-Joss
- Outputs
There will be teams of researchers working with six organisations in East London and six organisations in Camden.