4.2 Technology evaluation
We have now dealt at length with a range of activities that many people would regard as technology evaluation, although for reasons explained previously this unit defines these as technology assessment. There are, as I noted in the introduction, several more terms that have been devised to signify different types, or forms, of evaluation. Table 3 illustrates these and the context in which they are most often used, or to which their use is most suited. The table and the discussion below also illustrate that there are different terms for what are the same, or very similar, activities, so do not be confused by this. The remainder of Section 4 is directed at unpacking and explaining these issues.
Table 3 Types and applications of evaluation and assessment
| Types of evaluation and assessment | ||||||
| Context | ||||||
| Acquisition | Ex-ante | Assessment | ||||
| Development | Formative | |||||
| Use | Process improvement evaluation | Outcome improvement evaluation | ||||
| Implementation | Process assessment evaluation | Implementation studies | ||||
| Outcome or impact | Ex-post (or outcome assessment evaluation) | Post-implementation evaluation | Summative | |||