Top Program evaluations must be considered during program development. A program should clearly define its goals, objectives, outcomes, and impacts. Always be realistic when answering these questions. For our sample program, let's say the goal is to increase students' ability to communicate with their peers about alcohol use. The outcome is the increase in the number of communication skills that students have to talk to peers about alcohol.
Outcomes are the short-term program effects.
In the same example, the outcome of a peer training class is the increase in the number of communication tools students possess to talk to peers about alcohol. Impacts, on the other hand, are the long-term effects of the program. The impact is to reduce alcohol use on college campuses. The goal is the larger goal for the objectives. Again, the goal of the program is to increase the students' ability to talk to peers about alcohol.