Program evaluation research methodologies

Research Focus: Evaluation research is primarily concerned with measuring the outcomes of a process rather than the process itself. Research Outcome: Evaluation research is employed for strategic decision making in organizations. Research Goal: The goal of program evaluation is to determine whether a process has yielded the desired result s. This type of research protects the interests of stakeholders in the organization. It often represents a middle-ground between pure and applied research.

Evaluation research is both detailed and continuous. It pays attention to performative processes rather than descriptions. Research Process: This research design utilizes qualitative and quantitative research methods to gather relevant data about a product or action-based strategy. These methods include observation, tests, and surveys. Types of Evaluation Research The Encyclopedia of Evaluation Mathison, treats forty-two different evaluation approaches and models ranging from "appreciative inquiry" to "connoisseurship" to "transformative evaluation".

Common types of evaluation research include the following: Formative Evaluation Formative evaluation or baseline survey is a type of evaluation research that involves assessing the needs of the users or target market before embarking on a project.

Mid-term Evaluation Mid-term evaluation entails assessing how far a project has come and determining if it is in line with the set goals and objectives. Summative Evaluation This type of evaluation is also known as end-term evaluation of project-completion evaluation and it is conducted immediately after the completion of a project.

Outcome Evaluation Outcome evaluation is primarily target-audience oriented because it measures the effects of the project, program, or product on the users. Appreciative Enquiry Appreciative inquiry is a type of evaluation research that pays attention to result-producing approaches. What is the overall reach of this project? How would you rate the market penetration of this project? How accessible is the project?

Is this project time-efficient? Input Measurement In evaluation research, input measurement entails assessing the number of resources committed to a project or goal in any organization. What is the timeline of this process? How many employees have been assigned to this project? Do we need to purchase new machinery for this project? How many third-parties are collaborators in this project? Has this process affected you positively or negatively?

What role did this project play in improving your earning power? On a scale of , how excited are you about this project? How has this project improved your mental health? Service Quality Service quality is the evaluation research method that accounts for any differences between the expectations of the target markets and their impression of the undertaken project.

How helpful was our customer service representative? How satisfied are you with the quality of service? How long did it take to resolve the issue at hand? How likely are you to recommend us to your network? Uses of Evaluation Research Evaluation research is used by organizations to measure the effectiveness of activities and identify areas needing improvement. Findings from evaluation research are key to project and product advancements and are very influential in helping organizations realize their goals efficiently.

The findings arrived at from evaluation research serve as evidence of the impact of the project embarked on by an organization.

This information can be presented to stakeholders, customers, and can also help your organization secure investments for future projects. Evaluation research helps organizations to justify their use of limited resources and choose the best alternatives. It is also useful in pragmatic goal setting and realization. Evaluation research provides detailed insights into projects embarked on by an organization.

Accuracy: Will the evaluation produce findings that are valid and reliable, given the needs of those who will use the results? Sometimes the standards broaden your exploration of choices. Often, they help reduce the options at each step to a manageable number.

Feasibility How much time and effort can be devoted to stakeholder engagement? Propriety To be ethical, which stakeholders need to be consulted, those served by the program or the community in which it operates? Accuracy How broadly do you need to engage stakeholders to paint an accurate picture of this program? Similarly, there are unlimited ways to gather credible evidence Step 4.

Asking these same kinds of questions as you approach evidence gathering will help identify ones what will be most useful, feasible, proper, and accurate for this evaluation at this time. Thus, the CDC Framework approach supports the fundamental insight that there is no such thing as the right program evaluation.

Rather, over the life of a program, any number of evaluations may be appropriate, depending on the situation. Good evaluation requires a combination of skills that are rarely found in one person. The preferred approach is to choose an evaluation team that includes internal program staff, external stakeholders, and possibly consultants or contractors with evaluation expertise. An initial step in the formation of a team is to decide who will be responsible for planning and implementing evaluation activities.

One program staff person should be selected as the lead evaluator to coordinate program efforts. This person should be responsible for evaluation activities, including planning and budgeting for evaluation, developing program objectives, addressing data collection needs, reporting findings, and working with consultants.

The lead evaluator is ultimately responsible for engaging stakeholders, consultants, and other collaborators who bring the skills and interests needed to plan and conduct the evaluation.

Although this staff person should have the skills necessary to competently coordinate evaluation activities, he or she can choose to look elsewhere for technical expertise to design and implement specific tasks. However, developing in-house evaluation expertise and capacity is a beneficial goal for most public health organizations. The lead evaluator should be willing and able to draw out and reconcile differences in values and standards among stakeholders and to work with knowledgeable stakeholder representatives in designing and conducting the evaluation.

Seek additional evaluation expertise in programs within the health department, through external partners e. You can also use outside consultants as volunteers, advisory panel members, or contractors. External consultants can provide high levels of evaluation expertise from an objective point of view. Important factors to consider when selecting consultants are their level of professional training, experience, and ability to meet your needs.

Be sure to check all references carefully before you enter into a contract with any consultant. To generate discussion around evaluation planning and implementation, several states have formed evaluation advisory panels. Advisory panels typically generate input from local, regional, or national experts otherwise difficult to access.

Such an advisory panel will lend credibility to your efforts and prove useful in cultivating widespread support for evaluation activities. Evaluation team members should clearly define their respective roles. Informal consensus may be enough; others prefer a written agreement that describes who will conduct the evaluation and assigns specific roles and responsibilities to individual team members.

Either way, the team must clarify and reach consensus on the:. This manual is organized by the six steps of the CDC Framework. Each chapter will introduce the key questions to be answered in that step, approaches to answering those questions, and how the four evaluation standards might influence your approach.

The main points are illustrated with one or more public health examples that are composites inspired by actual work being done by CDC and states and localities. Together, they build a house over a multi-week period. Once you do this, sign in to your account and click on "Create Form " to begin.

Click on the field provided to input your form title, for example, "Evaluation Research Survey". Click on the edit button to edit the form. Add Fields: Drag and drop preferred form fields into your form in the Formplus builder inputs column.

There are several field input options for surveys in the Formplus builder. With the form customization options in the form builder, you can easily change the outlook of your form and make it more unique and personalized. Formplus allows you to change your form theme, add background images, and even change the font according to your needs. Formplus offers multiple form sharing options which enables you to easily share your evaluation survey with survey respondents.

You can use the direct social media sharing buttons to share your form link to your organization's social media pages. You can send out your survey form as email invitations to your research subjects too. If you wish, you can share your form's QR code or embed it on your organization's website for easy access.

Conducting evaluation research allows organizations to determine the effectiveness of their activities at different phases. This type of research can be carried out using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods including focus groups, observation, telephone and one-on-one interviews, and surveys.

Online surveys created and administered via data collection platforms like Formplus make it easier for you to gather and process information during evaluation research. With Formplus multiple form sharing options, it is even easier for you to gather useful data from target markets. In the medical field, it is unethical to not inform your patient of a process or a procedure you want to carry out on them.

It is required At different points in your learning process, you must have encountered formal assessments—think about end-of-term examinations and graded There are two common types of errors, type I and type II errors you'll likely encounter when testing a statistical hypothesis.

The mistaken What is an Assessment? When you Pricing Templates Features Login Sign up. What is Evaluation Research? Characteristics of Evaluation Research Research Environment: Evaluation research is conducted in the real world; that is, within the context of an organization.

Research Focus: Evaluation research is primarily concerned with measuring the outcomes of a process rather than the process itself. Research Outcome: Evaluation research is employed for strategic decision making in organizations.

Research Goal: The goal of program evaluation is to determine whether a process has yielded the desired result s. This type of research protects the interests of stakeholders in the organization.

It often represents a middle-ground between pure and applied research. Evaluation research is both detailed and continuous. It pays attention to performative processes rather than descriptions. Research Process: This research design utilizes qualitative and quantitative research methods to gather relevant data about a product or action-based strategy. These methods include observation, tests, and surveys. Types of Evaluation Research The Encyclopedia of Evaluation Mathison, treats forty-two different evaluation approaches and models ranging from "appreciative inquiry" to "connoisseurship" to "transformative evaluation".

Common types of evaluation research include the following: Formative Evaluation Formative evaluation or baseline survey is a type of evaluation research that involves assessing the needs of the users or target market before embarking on a project. Mid-term Evaluation Mid-term evaluation entails assessing how far a project has come and determining if it is in line with the set goals and objectives. Summative Evaluation This type of evaluation is also known as end-term evaluation of project-completion evaluation and it is conducted immediately after the completion of a project.

Outcome Evaluation Outcome evaluation is primarily target-audience oriented because it measures the effects of the project, program, or product on the users. What first attracted me to the Qualitative Research and Evaluation PhD program was the balance it offers between the philosophy of science and the practical application of research and evaluation.

My path through the Qualitative Research and Evaluation PhD program had me exploring the depths of qualitative research rarely visited by researchers in the health sciences but that have been essential in my current position as Senior Research Associate at Evidera. Now I find myself often referencing qualitative research theory and history when selecting strategies for new studies or when arranging trainings across my organization.

Moreover, the breadth of interests across students in the program provided unique perspectives that enriched my journey. Most of all though, I am impressed with how well the faculty helped guide me through the program, making theory, history, and applied work relevant for my own career goals. I really discovered the world of qualitative research with the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies PhD program, and the instructors made me adore it.

Their support for the students' learning was so impeccable. They had genial ways to encourage students to think outside the box and to be creative from every point of view, especially when it comes to methodologies. Mary Frances Early College of Education. Meet the Faculty Most graduate students at UGA are not assigned to a faculty advisor until after admittance. Student Life In this program, you will take focused coursework with individual attention from faculty mentors.

Schedule A Visit. Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Doctoral Student My path through the Qualitative Research and Evaluation PhD program had me exploring the depths of qualitative research rarely visited by researchers in the health sciences but that have been essential in my current position as Senior Research Associate at Evidera.