Internal Evaluation

Internal evaluation refers to an evaluation conducted by an organization or program/project staff in which the evaluators are directly accountable to the organization being evaluated. As such, the primary responsibility for the internal evaluation lies with the organization itself. This differs from an external evaluation, which is an evaluation conducted by evaluators from outside of the organization being examined. Internal evaluation (sometimes referred to as in-house evaluation) is essential for organization and program management, as the emphasis is on the concerns and needs of the organization’s administrators, managers, and staff to assist the program managers in better understanding their program theory and improving program processes and outcomes. Furthermore, the internal evaluation process promotes utilization of evaluation findings, reflective practice, and organizational learning.

Michael Scriven points out that the distinction between internal and external evaluation is more of a difference of degree than of kind. For example, if the evaluators hail from the same organization but from a different program or department, they may be considered partially external. Another example of a combined internal–external evaluation is institution or program accreditation in which the internal evaluators conduct a self-assessment, collecting and organizing data for external evaluators appointed by the accrediting organization. The accrediting body then inspects the data collected by the internal evaluators, conducts site visits, and writes an independent evaluation report. In fact, a typical accreditation criterion is that the institution or program seeking accreditation should use the findings from its internal evaluations. This entry examines the [Page 857]history, application, models, history, benefits, and limitations of internal evaluation.