Class Descriptions

Methods of Program Evaluation

SW685

Course Description

This course will focus on the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods to monitor and evaluate social services. Students will develop skills in choosing and implementing appropriate evaluation strategies and designs to answer policy and practice questions. Emphasis will be placed on how to select and construct measures and assess their reliability and validity. Students will assess service needs of target populations and communities, monitor the implementation and operation of social welfare programs, and evaluate their impact. Opportunities will be provided to obtain practical experience in data collection, interpretation, presentation and dissemination of evaluation results.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Specify goals and objectives for evaluating the effectiveness of programs and practices for individual clients, as well as for aggregates of program participants. (Practice Behaviors 3.SPE, 6.SPE, 10.b.SPE)
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of measurement, reliability, and validity; use these concepts for selecting variables for evaluation. (Practice Behaviors 2.SPE, 10.a.SPE, 10.d.SPE)
3. Devise basic designs for evaluation, and contrast their relative advantages and disadvantages to other designs. (Practice Behaviors 3.SPE, 6.SPE, 9.SPE)
4. Identify the issues involved in generalizing evaluation results, and devise representative sampling plans and replications for evaluating practices and programs. (Practice Behaviors 2.SPE, 4.SPE, 5.SPE, 10.c.SPE)
5. Generate evaluation reports using the criteria and concepts above. (Practice Behaviors 10.c.SPE, 10.d.SPE)
6. Discuss common ethical concerns related to program evaluation. (Practice Behaviors 1.SPE 2.SPE)

Design

This course will include a range of pedagogical methods-short lectures, participatory discussions, written assignments, student presentations, and experiential exercises. Students will have an opportunity to select journal articles of interest that are related to course content and research projects. Guest speakers will be invited to address special topics on evaluating programs. The extent of computer use and use of statistical packages throughout this course will be determined by the individual student when conducting analyses for research projects.