Workshops - Research and Evaluation
Introduction to Evaluation
Introduction
“To maintain safety, drivers regularly evaluate the operation of their cars. Each part of the car is inspected to allow it to operate at some acceptable level of performance and checks are made of the tire pressure, engine, and transmission fluids”.
The same process is true for program evaluation. Most organizations are interested in determining whether their programs are operating efficiently and having an impact on their clients. Our Introduction to Evaluation Workshop provides an overview of the evaluation process- from deciding whether evaluation is appropriate for your program to conducting the evaluation and using the results. This workshop can be tailored to meet the knowledge and skill levels of participants, from a basic introduction to the concepts to more advanced workshop content.
Who Will Benefit From This Workshop
Anyone involved with the program evaluation process will benefit from this workshop- from participants with little evaluation experience to those with more advanced experience. The workshop is designed to break down the barriers to evaluation and help participants become comfortable with the evaluation process. “Consumers” of evaluation, for example those who contract their evaluation projects to consultants, will find this workshop of particular interest, as they will be provided with a basic overview of the processes involved in contracting and managing an evaluation process.
Outcomes of Workshop
Participants in the Introduction to Evaluation Workshop will leave the session with a concrete understanding of the evaluation process, methods, and outcomes. You will be provided with tools and resources to help you apply evaluation concepts within your own organization or program. In particular, you will learn flexible options for dealing with the following program evaluation issues:
- What is program evaluation?
- What is community-based research?
- What is the purpose of research/evaluation?
- Why should I do evaluation?
- What is a request for proposals?
- What is a proposal?
- What are terms of reference?
- What are the types of program evaluation?
- What is the difference between summative (outcome) and formative (process) evaluation?
- What are program missions, goals, and objectives?
- How do I identify evaluation questions and indicators?
- What are the types of evaluation design (e.g., qualitative, quantitative)?
- What is a program logic model?
- How do I develop an evaluation framework and plan?
- What types of instruments (methods) can I use (e.g., literature reviews, surveys, key informant interviews, focus groups, case studies)?
- How do I choose between these different instruments?
- What are the ethical considerations in program evaluation?
- How do evaluation committees work?
- How do I manage an evaluation study?
- How do I analyze the data and write a report of the results?
- How do I ensure my evaluation findings are used?
- What do I do with negative evaluation findings?
Tools/Resources Used in Workshop
A workshop manual will be provided to all participants. Concrete workshop exercises, tools, and resources based on the needs of participants will be provided. Examples include: templates for requests for proposals, terms of reference, and proposals; checklists for choosing between evaluation instruments; and worksheets for developing logic models and evaluation frameworks.
Length of Workshop
The length of this workshop is a full day.
Introduction to Survey Research
Introduction
This workshop provides an overview of the survey research process- from deciding whether surveys are appropriate for your evaluation needs, to designing and administering the survey. This workshop can be tailored to meet the knowledge and skill levels of participants, from a basic introduction to the survey process to more advanced workshop content.
Who Will Benefit From This Workshop
Anyone involved with the survey research process will benefit from this workshop- from participants with little survey experience to those with more advanced experience. The workshop is designed to help participants become comfortable with the survey process and provide you with tips for developing and administering a survey.
Outcomes of Workshop
Participants in Introduction to Survey Research Workshop will leave the session with a concrete understanding of the survey research process, methods, and outcomes. You will be provided with tools and resources to help you apply survey research concepts within your organization or program. In particular, you will learn flexible options for dealing with the following survey issues:
- What are surveys?
- When are surveys appropriate?
- What type of surveys are appropriate?
- How can surveys be developed using a community development process?
- What are the steps in developing and implementing a survey?
- What types of survey questions can be developed?
- What do I have to consider when developing survey questions?
- What “biases” can respondents introduce to the survey?
- How do I prevent these biases before they happen?
- How do I ensure I get the best response rate possible?
- How do I code and analyze the completed surveys?
Tools/Resources Used in Workshop
A workshop manual will be provided to all participants. Concrete workshop exercises, tools, and resources based on the needs of participants will be provided. Examples include:
- checklists for deciding whether mail-out, in-person, or electronic surveys are
- appropriate;
- examples of open-ended and closed-ended questions;
- tips for wording survey questions to eliminate bias;
- checklists for ensuring you get the best response rate possible; and
- templates for coding survey data.
Length of Workshop
The length of this workshop is a full day.
Introduction to Focus Group Research
Introduction
Our Introduction to Focus Group Research Workshop provides an overview of the focus group process- from deciding whether focus groups are appropriate for your evaluation needs to planning and facilitating the focus group. This workshop can be tailored to meet the knowledge and skill levels of participants, from a basic introduction to the concepts to more advanced workshop content.
Who Will Benefit From This Workshop
Anyone involved with the focus group process will benefit from this workshop- from participants with little focus group experience to those with more advanced experience. The workshop is designed to help participants become comfortable with the focus group process, and provide you with concrete focus group facilitation skills.
Outcomes of Workshop
Participants in the Introduction to Focus Group Research Workshop will leave the session with a concrete understanding of the focus group process, methods, and outcomes. You will be provided with tools and resources to help you apply focus group concepts within your organization or program. In particular, workshop participants will learn flexible options for dealing with the following focus group issues:
- What are focus groups?
- When are focus groups appropriate?
- How can focus groups be developed using a community development process?
- What are the steps in planning a focus group?
- How do I ensure I have the “right” participants for the focus group?
- What are the steps in developing focus group questions?
- What facilitation techniques are useful for focus groups?
- What “biases” can participants introduce to the focus group process?
- How do I remedy these biases?
- How do I ensure accurate data are recorded during the focus group session?
- How do I code and analyze the data?
Tools/Resources Used in Workshop
A workshop manual will be provided to all participants. Concrete workshop exercises, tools, and resources based on the needs of participants will be provided. Examples include:
- Templates for planning the logistics of a focus group session;
- Suggestions of appropriate participant screening tools; and
- Examples of warm-up exercises.
Length of Workshop
The length of this workshop can vary from three hours to a full day.
