Module 1: Introduction to Program Inquiry
Connecting with the Evaluation Community:
Jack Mills nicely summarizes Stewart Donaldson and Mark Lipsey’s (2006) article by briefly explaining three fundamental theories in evaluation practice. Similar to Jack Mills’ example, I want to evaluate a program that will help low-income students achieve office administration careers by the end of the course. I would like to use my own example to explain the three theories which will be summarized below:
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Harper Collins Publishers. Ltd
http://aea365.org/blog/cap-tig-week-jack-mills-on-evaluation-theory/
Jack Mills nicely summarizes Stewart Donaldson and Mark Lipsey’s (2006) article by briefly explaining three fundamental theories in evaluation practice. Similar to Jack Mills’ example, I want to evaluate a program that will help low-income students achieve office administration careers by the end of the course. I would like to use my own example to explain the three theories which will be summarized below:
- Evaluation Theory: This theory asks what makes for a good evaluation. In my example, taking a count of how many students achieve jobs at the end of the course would not be enough. A good evaluation would mean finding out more about the program, such as, did the students feel confident in the skills they gained and how can this be improved?
- Program Theory: This theory asks what is needed to make the program succeed. In my example, it was determined that students needed computer labs, training, access to Microsoft Office programs, and practicum experience to be successful.
- Social Science Theory: This theory asks why people act and behave in certain ways. In my example, I could use Grit theory by Angela Duckworth (2016) to link conscientious and grit together as two predictors of success in the real world. Based on this theory, the program should teach students the importance of working hard to achieve long-term goals.
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Harper Collins Publishers. Ltd
http://aea365.org/blog/cap-tig-week-jack-mills-on-evaluation-theory/
Module 2: Theory Driven Evaluation
U-Well Case Study:
"This educational program was designed to support increased wellness of staff and instructors at a local university. U-Well was initially implemented in response to increased sickness on campus and challenges with staff/instructor work-life balance. Staff sick days had increased by 15% in the past three years, and instructors persistently reported challenges in work-life balance on the annual university staff survey over the past five years. The U-Well program was endorsed by the University’s central administration and facilitated by the on-campus Health Services Unit (HSU). Four staff members in the HSU were responsible for administering the program: the HSU director, one health professional, and two educators. The program has been operational for two years."
Below is my logic model design to outline the goals and intended outcomes for a program evaluation of the U-Well program:
| case_study_1_uwell.pdf |
Connecting to the Evaluation Community:
The article I chose to analyze is about asking solution-focused questions during program evaluations by Emily Spence-Almaguer.
The link to the article is here: http://aea365.org/blog/emily-spence-almaguer-on-solution-focused-therapy/
I chose this article because it helps to understand the importance of asking the solution-based questions in an effort to make a program successful and more sustainable. Spence-Almaguer (2013) points out that If you ask a student “how can the program be improved” there’s a good chance that they could interpret that as “What is wrong with the program?” which doesn’t help to improve the program because the student could be defending it instead of offering possible solutions from his or her perspective.
The article also caught my interest because I was thinking of taking an outcome-oriented approach for my own program evaluation. My program would be considered successful if the outcome is career achievement for the low-income students who participated. If the students obtain a job, then they have met the desired outcome. However, it is still important that the program continues to improve for the next time it is delivered. By asking someone the question “How would you improve the program?” they might respond that they wouldn’t change anything because they met the desired outcome. This doesn’t help the program improve at all. Instead, a better question might be to ask, “If you were to return as a guest speaker, what areas of the program would you most likely focus on, and what areas of the program would you leave out of your lecture?” This might help the student think of areas that were most influential to his or her success.
The link to the article is here: http://aea365.org/blog/emily-spence-almaguer-on-solution-focused-therapy/
I chose this article because it helps to understand the importance of asking the solution-based questions in an effort to make a program successful and more sustainable. Spence-Almaguer (2013) points out that If you ask a student “how can the program be improved” there’s a good chance that they could interpret that as “What is wrong with the program?” which doesn’t help to improve the program because the student could be defending it instead of offering possible solutions from his or her perspective.
The article also caught my interest because I was thinking of taking an outcome-oriented approach for my own program evaluation. My program would be considered successful if the outcome is career achievement for the low-income students who participated. If the students obtain a job, then they have met the desired outcome. However, it is still important that the program continues to improve for the next time it is delivered. By asking someone the question “How would you improve the program?” they might respond that they wouldn’t change anything because they met the desired outcome. This doesn’t help the program improve at all. Instead, a better question might be to ask, “If you were to return as a guest speaker, what areas of the program would you most likely focus on, and what areas of the program would you leave out of your lecture?” This might help the student think of areas that were most influential to his or her success.
