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Teaching Program Evaluation in a Master of Public Administration Program: a Search for Commonalities
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| Presenter(s):
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| James Newman, Idaho State University, newmjame@isu.edu
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| Kwame Badu Antwi-Boasiako, Stephen F Austin University, antwibokb@sfasu.edu
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| Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to determine any existing or desired commonalities of courses in program evaluation within the curriculum of a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. The goal in conducting this research is to provide instructors of program evaluation information as to learning outcomes in courses concerning program evaluation. It is my hope this information will be helpful to instructors of program evaluation and MPA directors.
The study is based upon existing literature and a survey of instructors of program evaluation in MPA programs. The survey received a 25% response rate from instructors of program evaluation, which produced an N size of 61. The results indicate several common learning outcomes and a strong desire to create prerequisites, primarily in statistics and research methods.
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Competency Acquisition: Linking Education Experiences to Evaluator Self-Efficacy
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| Presenter(s):
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| Lisa Dillman, University of California, Los Angeles, ldillman@ucla.edu
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| Abstract:
Recently, conversations surrounding credentialing evaluators in the mold of the Canadian Evaluation Society's Credentialed Evaluator Designation have increased. Significant discussions about teaching evaluation abound; however, little has been said about how novice evaluators learn essential competencies and skills. This paper presents the results of a survey administered to AEA's Graduate Student and New Evaluators Topical Interest Group. Respondents were asked about their training experiences, their confidence in certain skills and knowledge, and the components of their training in evaluation that had the greatest impact on the development of a certain set of competencies. A paired comparison analysis was conducted to assess the differences between the contributions of elements of a training program to the development of each competency. Analysis shows cultivating a well-trained evaluator requires a variety of training program components. However, the training component considered to be most important differed according to which competency was being developed.
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Teaching Values in a Program Evaluation Course
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| Presenter(s):
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| Kathryn Newcomer, George Washington University, kathryn.newcomer@gmail.com
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| Burt Barnow, George Washington University, barnow@gwu.edu
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| Abstract:
Program evaluations involve more than using the appropriate statistical and qualitative techniques. Frequently evaluators are confronted with ethical issues that may lead them to decline an opportunity to undertake an evaluation or may alter the way in which the evaluation is conducted. Moreover, ethical behavior in conducting program evaluations is open to varying interpretations—depending on the ethical standards adopted, one can reach quite different conclusions. In teaching program evaluation in our program, we include a class devoted to ethical issues in program evaluation, but we also engage the students in a brief debate in each class on ethical issues that arise in evaluations. This paper discusses rationale for including the ethics debates, the process used for the debates, and several examples of the debate topics we have used. After describing the process used for the debates, the paper presents examples of topics used and the discussions that ensued.
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