PUBPOL 5360

Program Evaluation for Community Organizations

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

This course serves as an introduction to the principles and practice of collaborative program evaluation for community-based organizations. This is an applied research methods course in which students will learn how to develop frameworks and tools that help small and mid-sized organizations answer the question: Is our program working? and/or how can our program be improved? This course is part conceptual, and part applied, teaching students critical thinking for evaluation and practical skills in M&E planning and evaluation design. During the semester students will work with a local community development organization in a consultancy project to design and present an evaluation plan for use in a real practice setting. All students will produce a rigorous non-experimental evaluation design for a local practice-partner organization or 'client.' This is an intensive field-based engaged course that requires substantial collaborative group work.

When Offered Spring.

Comments Corequisite/prerequisite: This is an applied research methods course. As such, should have previously taken (at the undergraduate or graduate level) a research methods course (qual or quant), that covers major topics in research design, methods, and sampling. Students with questions about their preparation for the course should reach out to the instructor.

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