380.611.01
Fundamentals of Program Evaluation

Location
East Baltimore
Term
3rd Term
Department
Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2013 - 2014
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
W, F, 1:30 - 3:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Kristin Mmari
Contact Name
Kristin Mmari
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Description
Familiarizes students in different types of program evaluation, including needs assessment, formative research, process evaluation, monitoring of outputs and outcomes, impact assessment, and cost analysis. Students gain practical experience through a series of exercises involving the design of a conceptual framework, development of indicators, analysis of computerized service statistics, and development of an evaluation plan to measure impact. Covers experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental study designs, including the strengths and limitations of each.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the purpose of different types of evaluation
  2. Design a conceptual framework that explains program impact, based on program objectives
  3. Develop indicators based on the conceptual framework
  4. Identify sources of data at the program and population level corresponding to different types of evaluation
  5. Describe the purpose of needs assessment and steps in the process
  6. Describe the purpose of formative research and identify the most common methods
  7. Explain the purpose of pretesting communications and the most common methods
  8. Outline the advantages and disadvantages of using service statistics for program evaluation
  9. Use a computerized MIS to obtain and interpret routine service statistics
  10. Describe the elements of experimental and quasi-experimental designs, and explain how they address the threats to validity
  11. Outline the characteristics, advantages and limitations of randomized control trials for evaluating impact
  12. Design an evaluation plan
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

Course is prerequisite for 380.612 and 380.613.