Course Description
Students learn how to evaluate professional practice regarding the implementation of programs using various research design methodologies to design and improve individual, group, organizational, community, and institutional practices/interventions. Students will interpret, use, and communicate evaluation results to make appropriate decisions to improve various management and service delivery practices.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
The Needs Assessment assignment for graduate students will require
them to collect firsthand data from key community stakeholders
(e.g., nonprofit leaders, clients, public sector leaders) in
addition to accessing secondary data and referencing scholarly
literature. The number of scholarly sources referenced for all
assignments (Needs Assessment, Logic Model, and Final Evaluation
Measurement Outline) will be greater in number for graduate
students.
Athena Title
Evaluation Professional Pract
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in MNML 5226E or MNML 7226E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the conclusion of the course, students are expected to be able to: 1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the field of evaluation. 2. Demonstrate the ability to select, adapt, and apply evaluation research concepts to a host of evaluation contexts. 3. Demonstrate the ability to identify the linkages between research concepts and organizational, community, and institutional practices. 4. Demonstrate the ability to critically assess evaluative research studies as to their use of and inclusion of demographic variables, such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identify, and other characteristics of diversity. 5. Demonstrate ability to critically assess the use of demographic variables and characteristics of diversity and the linkage to underlying philosophies of science, internal and external validity, and implications for practice. 6. Demonstrate the ability to select and adapt appropriate study designs, techniques of measurement, data collection, and analysis; identify and articulate appropriate outcome measures; and critically evaluate and utilize various methods of measurement. 7. Demonstrate the ability to design an evaluation study. 8. Demonstrate the ability to identify the logic underlying the program undergoing an evaluation (the causes of the problem and the relation of the program to one or more causal factors). 9. Demonstrate an ability to analyze evaluation data, interpret statistical data, and understand how conclusions about practice and program effectiveness are drawn from evaluation data.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction - Accountability and effectiveness - Socio-political context of evaluation - Ethical issues 2. Program monitoring and information systems - Resistance and readiness of the environment - Objectives and evaluability - Information needs analysis - Design and implementation of monitoring procedures - Use of feedback for program improvement 3. Alternative methods of evaluation - Social systems and impact assessments - Formative and summative approaches - Quasi-experimental and single system designs - Cost-benefit analysis - Qualitative approaches 4. Measuring components of services and outcomes - Specification of objectives - Identification of appropriate indicators - Construction of scales: validity, reliability, sensitivity - Pilot testing and refinement - Examples of scales for programs, organizations, and communities 5. Communication and utilization of findings - Preparing user-friendly reports - Dealing with the multiple interest of users - Roles of researcher, manager, provider, and consumer of services 6. Case studies in evaluation of empowerment efforts