It’s that time of year again when the Evaluation Team at the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission have been sending out the annual evaluation survey. This is done on a rolling basis to a fifth of all alumni. If you received a scholarship or fellowship in a year ending with a 3 or 8 (1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008) you well have received an email from us requesting your participation in completing the online survey. It opened on 12 March and closed on 16 April.
The surveys typically include questions about qualifications, work whilst on award, employment and subsequent activities. But, why do we need to assess the impact of Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships?
Our evaluation ensures that we are doing our best for current scholarship or fellowship holders by learning about how our funding is making an impact, so that we can justify continued funding and make improvements to the way we work. That is why the survey asks about what you have achieved and importantly what affect that has had from a development perspective. This information together with follow up work will allow us to assess the impact our alumni have on a community, and at a national and international level.
For the 2012 survey the female response rate was lower than the survey population (Overall % of Survey Population=34% Survey Participation=29%). Because of this we have been making a concerted effort to highlight the importance of female alumni participation in the survey so that it is more representative.
As a former Commonwealth Scholar or Fellow, you know how valuable your scholarship or fellowship has been to you and your career. By taking the time to complete our surveys, you will help us continue to demonstrate the important impact they have. Thank you to all those who have completed the recent survey – your participation is very much appreciated!
Find out more about our Evaluation work
