Erasmus+ Application Guide III – Project Evaluation and Impact

Once the project has been designed, the final step is to put mechanisms in place that will monitor and measure its success and ensure lasting results with reflection and action.

Level of Learning

You presented the objectives at the start of the application and many of these referred to the added learning that will be gained. There are many applications that ask the question ‘What are the expected learning outcomes and how are these going to be assessed?’ This is a targeted question with two demands – they want to know what specific knowledge and skills will be acquired and secondly, how that additional knowledge will be measured.

It’s hard to summarise – after all, the participants may be learning specific subject areas on paper but parallel to this, you also have the skills and attitudes that are being developed all at the same time. Therefore, you can brainstorm the learning outcomes with three columns – Knowledge – Skills – Attitudes – and this will allow you to organise your thinking:

• Knowledge is whatever learning revolves around the teaching or training or work experience – the new information that is gathered e.g. new insights into stem cell therapy
• Skills is whatever practical techniques and methods are inherited alongside the knowledge – it's more about the HOW, the new ways of working e.g. enhanced abilities in coding and application design
• Attitudes – this relates to the new behaviours and values that could be developed and they are of a more personal nature. This is often the hardest area to perfect so here are some points you can include:
• greater sense of tolerance and appreciation of others
• sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
• greater self-esteem and independence
• access to cultural diversity, increased social awareness
• Better critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Increased leadership and teamwork
• Enhanced career prospects
• Transferable skills needed for the labour market
• Deeper sense of EU/European citizenship

In terms of measuring these outcomes, it is best to select a number of methods that are realistic and effective. Examples include:

• Testimonials
• Portfolios
• Video or other type of media
• Reviews and feedback
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires
• End-of-year project or some other type of assessment

Once you have selected the methods, you also need to think about who will be collecting and analysing this information e.g. project coordinator, accompanying teacher, headmaster, senior management, academic counsellor etc

Accreditation

Many applications will ask about European or national validation instruments. This refers to official organisations either within the country or within Europe that give accreditation to the project. This could be anything from a Europass mobility certificate (thus allowing someone to create a Europass CV on the platform) or ECVET credits.

You can also refer to national certificates such as any documentation prepared by the organisation e.g. school certificate or award or recognition from Ministry of Education.

Measuring Impact

The main thing to have in mind is that, when presenting the results and consequences of the project, you are aiming to show its ripple effects. What this means is, you will show how the impact of the project extends beyond the participants and is going to influence and possibly transform the organisation as a whole and even beyond that, the local and even national community. By presenting the different ‘levels’ of change, you are pointing out how important it is for the application to be approved as you are listing all the stakeholders that will be affected positively. Here are some ways of showing the changes:

1. You could separate the results into short-term and long-term results e.g. a short-term result could be to reinforce the Science department with more experienced teaching and a long-term result could be to transform the school into a leader of Science and Technology in the region
2. You could present the results that fulfil the European Development Plan objectives e.g. show how sustainability is promoted in school and how that contributes to the overall environmental agenda outlined by the EU. Other EDP objectives include:

• Innovative learning experiences contributing to digitization
• Improved language competencies for stronger inclusion and diversity across the EU
• Increased sense of entrepreneurship to boost the economic capability of the EU
• Greater sense of EU citizenship in order to facilitate the smoother integration of new member states

1. You could show how the results not only impact a specific department but then help shape the mind set of the institution as a whole e.g. the debating activities of the project will be integrated into the English and History Department as part of their assessment policy. This will then embed debating techniques into the school as a whole and we hope that the curriclum will incorporate debating sessions in assemblies and extra-curricular activities. We are also applying to host a Model United Nations conference in the following school year to build on our project results.
2. Do show an interest in inclusion and diversity which reigns high on EU agendas. Show how your project is assisting those in need of support. Stress the fact that disadvantaged pupils have been given greater attention over the course of the project and that arrangements have been made to support special educational needs.

Internationalisation

At some point, you will need to describe the international scope of the project and how they will be expanded. Here is an opportunity to emphasise the advantages of working with stakeholders in other countries and it requires detailed answers such as:

• Developing an international network of schools / training centres / employers that can continue to support the organisation in years to come through communication, shared knowledge or internships
• Learning new strategies, ideas and innovation from other stakeholders that would otherwise be untapped and then use this added knowledge to engage with new stakeholders and embark on new projects
• Promoting project-based learning that welcomes the participation of students and teachers from different countries, tackling tasks as a collective and forging new friendships

Dissemination

There are a number of sections in any application that want details about the dissemination activities. Again, you cannot be general; you need to be precise.

It’s important to quantify the number of people affected by the project so you may need to gather some numbers from the client organisation. Numbers in general give greater weight to your application claims. For example: the project will carry out three mobilities abroad, each with different groups of 20 students and 3 teachers. These participants will then be able to share their knowledge. The 20 students belong to five different class sections and the 3 teachers belong to different departments. Therefore we estimate that these 70 participants will then contribute to the learning of 500 individuals in a school of 1200 students.

You may be asked about the ‘impact on the taxpayer’ - again, this is referring to the benefits acquired by the surrounding community. This requires you to think outside the box and envisage what the project can do to change society. Some tips for this include:

• Increase the skills and entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation and enhance the quality of human capital entering the labour market
• Lower school dropout rates by bolstering student motivation and increasing college and university applications
• Promoting the acceptance of other cultures and thus fostering social inclusion locally
• Aiding disadvantaged students with otherwise unattainable opportunities and assisting in greater social mobility and economic equality

Finally give reference to how the project results will be advertised and presented to the general public. An important aspect of Erasmus+ is raising awareness and celebrating the achievements of participating individuals in the hope of inspiring others. Therefore your dissemination suggestions must be impressive to the reader.

An important tip is to think about how local and national media could be used I.e. talk about newspaper articles, social media posts, radio broadcasts and any other form of media where the project can be showcased.

Try to suggest tangible results that will have a lasting presence such as a publication or website or a mobile phone application. These are some ideas as to how you can present the wider implications of the project in terms of knowledge and development.

Also have in mind that further events could be a way of giving recognition to the project with local and national authorities. Many organisations finish their project with a conference or press event where the coordinators are able to present the fruits of the project. It also an opportunity for government officials to be invited and they get the chance to see the organisation from a different angle.

Finally, clarify the audience that will be present at these dissemination events – just the parents and staff or will it be important figures in the community? Will international figures be present too?

Try to include important authorities into the dissemination activities such as sending invitations to embassies, research centres, NGO’s and online media outlets and include that in the application, just to show that you have genuinely thought about the wider exposure of the project.

For further information regarding the application process please also read the following blogs:

• Top Tips for a Successful Turing Scheme Application

• The Best Way to Get Your Erasmus+ Application Approved 

• The Rewarding Part of Getting Erasmus+ or Turing Applications Approved

• 9 Steps After Your Erasmus+ or Turing Application