Implementation and process evaluation (IPE) focuses on understanding how an intervention or programme is put into practice, how it operates to achieve its intended outcomes, and the factors that influence these processes. TASO recommends that the higher education sector conduct IPE alongside impact evaluation and the guidance on this page will help researchers and evaluators to:

  • Evaluate whether an intervention or programme was implemented as intended.
  • Identify the elements of an intervention or programme that are necessary to produce the intended effects (outcomes).
  • Establish whether the assumption(s) and mechanism(s) underpinning the intervention’s theory of change hold true.

TASO has published several resources to support the sector in conducting rigorous IPE:

  • IPE guidance (PDF) – provides an introduction to IPE and step-by-step process for completing an implementing and process evaluation 
  • IPE framework (PDF) – provides a summary of the TASO IPE framework and step-by-step approach to implementing the guidance 
  • Case study (PDF) – an illustrative example of an IPE protocol for an access intervention 
  • IPE protocol template (MS Word) – to guide the sector in designing and developing their own implementation and process evaluations
  • IPE reporting template (MS Word) – to guide the sector in structuring and developing their own implementation and process evaluation reports