Ban happy sheets!--Understanding and using evaluation.

Evaluating learning in the complex environments of health and education can be fraught with difficulties. Teaching sessions are customarily 'qualitatively' evaluated by participants filling in simple forms which indicate how they found a course--colloquially called 'happy sheets'. These forms place an emphasis on whether participants enjoyed their training rather than benefitted from it; and respondent's comments can focus more on the quality of the catering and whether they liked the facilitator rather than formally measuring educational effectiveness or what behaviours, skills or attitudes will be different as a result of the input. Part of an educator's role is to present a rationale for the value of their work, and to continuously review and improve it. An understanding of evaluation itself and an awareness of the politics and pressures that can be associated with the act of evaluating are vital to support the measurement of quality and the improvement of teaching. This article calls for an end to superficial measurements and for Educationalists to make evaluation a meaningful and integral part of their educational output. It also raises the importance of involving participants in the process of evaluation and making them aware of its potential worth and provides some practical suggestions for nurse educators.