With respect to program evaluation, this course is designed to meet the needs of two differing individuals. The first type are those individuals who wish to pursue program evaluation as part of their professional career. This course will seek to provide those individuals with a basic foundation in evaluation from which they can develop and expand their skills in and knowledge of program evaluation. The second type are those individuals who will eventually hire, interact with, and possibly supervise others who conduct evaluations of programs of which they are responsible. This course will seek to provide those individuals with basic background knowledge of evaluation to enable them to discern the quality of evaluation and thus have a sound background of what comprises good evaluation methods.
Program evaluation is a form of systematic inquiry that is related to but distinct from research.
This course is based on the premise that evaluation has a broad and multidisciplinary knowledge base and requires the use of myriad skills. To fully appreciate and to carry out effective evaluation procedures, it is expected that participating students will have had familiarity with or exposure to both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Further, evaluation is more effectively learned through application and discussion. The course is built around lectures and, more prominently, discussions tied to the textbook, other reading sources, and the actual application of knowledge. It is expected that each participant will build on previous knowledge and apply new knowledge gained through the readings and class discussions in activities associated with the class.