Course Description
Examination of concepts and methods in the negotiation, design, implementation, and report of qualitative program evaluations. Integration of theory and practice through conducting an evaluation for a selected program. Among topics considered are responsive, naturalistic, critical, and culturally responsive evaluation, working with diverse stakeholders, and evaluation in a democracy.
Athena Title
Pract Qual Prog Eval
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in QUAL 8515E
Prerequisite
QUAL 8513 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
At the end of this course students will: * Better understand the historical development of qualitative evaluation and its role in educational and social programming * Become familiar with major approaches in qualitative evaluation * Be able to design and carry out a qualitative evaluation * Understand the logic of evaluative thinking * Be able to identify and understand the kinds of evaluation questions addressed by qualitative approaches
Topical Outline
Textbooks Callahan, Suzanne (2005). Singing our praises: case studies in the art of evaluation. Association of Performing Arts Presenters House, Earnest R. & Howe, Kenneth R. (1999). Values in evaluation and social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN 9780761911555 Kushner, Saville (2000). Personalizing evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN 9780761963622 O’Sullivan, Rita G. (2004). Practicing evaluation: A collaborative approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN 9780761925460 Stake, Robert E. (2004). Standards-based & responsive evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN 0761926658 Topics 1.Characteristics of Qualitative Evaluation: What characterizes qualitative, or responsive or naturalistic evaluation, as opposed to quantitative or some other form of evaluation? What are its historical roots? 2.Working with Stakeholders: How are stakeholders identified? How can evaluators reach hard-to-reach stakeholders, or busy stakeholders? What roles should stakeholders take in a responsive, qualitative evaluation? 3.Developing Evaluation Questions 4.Designing the Evaluation: What units of analysis will be involved in the evaluation and how will these be selected? What components of the program will the evaluation focus on? Who will be sought out to speak about these components and how will their perceptions get generated? 5.Ethnographic Methods in Evaluation: How are observations and interviews integrated into the evaluation design? What artifacts and documents should be gathered and how? 6.Guiding Principles of the American Evaluation Association: How is the evaluator to integrate the guiding principles for evaluators for systematic inquiry, competence, integrity and honesty, respect for people, and responsibilities for general and public welfare? What should an evaluator do to fairly balance each of these principles? Can and should evaluators embrace some principles over others? If so, what are the consequences for their decisions? What is the status of evaluation research in institutional requirements for human subjects review? 7.Moral, Ethical, and Political Perspectives on Evaluation: What values guide various approaches to evaluation? What is the relationship between evaluation and developing calls for accountability? 8.Diversity and Evaluation: Whose voices are being included and excluded in the evaluation design? What is culturally responsive evaluation? How can evaluators develop culturally responsive evaluation and other critical approaches? How are the diverse voices of stakeholders brought together during the evaluation process and then in the evaluation report? 9.The Role of Evaluation in a Democracy 10.Analyzing Qualitative Data 11.Synthesizing Multiple Perspectives 12.Writing Up and Reporting Results: Students prepare a report for the program that the group has evaluated during the semester.