Program Evaluation (Spring 2024)

Course Description

This course examines the practical aspects of program evaluation within public policy in domestic and international contexts. Emphasis is placed on the design and implementation of small- to medium-scale program evaluations under time and budget constraints using ‘best feasible’ methods. Topics include the types and purposes of evaluation, theory-based evaluation, evaluability and planning, measurement and construct validity, data collection, evaluation design, estimation of program effects, experiments, qualitative and mixed methods, evaluation resistance, building organizational capacity, ethics, cost-effectiveness, and reporting and utilization. The course will be useful to students working in a variety of mission-driven organizations, especially those who currently have, or expect to have in the future, program evaluation responsibilities.

Learning Objectives

  • Develop and conduct practical program evaluations under time and budget constraints using the best feasible methods
  • Understand the various types and purposes of evaluation and the specific role of impact evaluation within the broader evaluation field
  • Determine whether specific programs are evaluable
  • Critique program evaluation designs based on principles of internal and external validity
  • Create a logic model in support of theory-based evaluation
  • Define desirable program outcomes in measurable terms
  • Evaluate the costs and benefits of various methods for data collection and analysis
  • Employ specific quantitative and qualitative methods to support program evaluation, including the estimation of program effects
  • Understand evaluation jargon and understand key nuances in evaluation discourse
  • Anticipate and address common sources of resistance to evaluation
  • Exhibit an awareness of program evaluation capacity in organizations, articulate the major obstacles to evaluation, and identify opportunities for improving evaluation capacity and practice.

Acknowledgment

This class benefits from similar classes and I cannot credit them enough below:

Reuse of material

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This course/class benefits from the Program Evaluation class material developed by Dr. Gang He.

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