Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 514 – Program Evaluation

Credits - 3

Description

This course introduces students to social work research specific to program evaluation methods. Students will learn and discuss program evaluation assessment types and the research methodologies conducted in research and applied in practice. Students will conceptualize the steps involved in a program evaluation, for a human services organization, to demonstrate evidence based practices and the potential for social change among clients, organizations, and communities. The content of this course integrates other elements of the MSW curriculum and is designed to include resources that are relevant to direct and macro levels of practice.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Be competent consumers and producers of knowledge that informs their practice. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 6. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS, 2) ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES, 3) FINAL PAPER INTRODUCTION, and 4) FINAL PAPER
• Discuss the ethical and socio-political factors that influence the process of evaluation. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 4. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS, 2) FINAL PAPER, and 3) POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
• Conceptualize and propose a program evaluation, which integrates and utilizes foundation research knowledge and critical thinking. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 4 and 6. As measured by 1) DISCUSSION FORUMS, 2) ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES, 3) FINAL PAPER INTRODUCTION, 4) FINAL PAPER, and 5) POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Assignments

Your course grade will be determined by the following:     

Class Participation 

(Mandatory for a passing grade).   

1. Participation: You are expected to participate in classroom discussions and demonstrate an understanding of course material and integration of course material. You are expected to provide a total of 3 posts per discussion board per week: one initial post and two substantial responses (i.e. 4-5 sentences in length) to peers, following APA 6th edition formatting as appropriate.
2. This course is premised on the notion that social work practice is evidence-based and guided by critical thinking. You will be asked to complete three Annotated Bibliographies over the course of the term in the discussion boards. An Annotated Bibliography is a short (i.e., 2 single spaced pages) paper in which you provide the following information. Refer to the template document “Writing an Annotated Bibliography” for details. Students must follow the template format which includes:
   1. Full bibliographic information following APA 6 edition formatting
   2. Summary of research methods and findings
   3. Critical Assessment of the Article
   4. Statement of the Value of the Article (i.e. How it applies to the social work profession)  

   Each review will critique one journal article published within the last 5-10 years:

   1. The first annotated bibliography (Week 2 Discussion Board) must be relevant to qualitative methodology (i.e. needs assessment evaluation)pdfcrowd.com
   2. The second annotated bibliography (Week 3 Discussion Board) must be relevant to quantitative methodology (i.e. outcome evaluation)
   3. The third annotated bibliography (Week 5 Discussion Board) must be relevant to mixed methodology (i.e. process evaluation)
3. Critique of PowerPoint presentations of Final Paper. You will actively participate in the review of peer presentations of their final paper. Microsoft PowerPoint must be used for this task. 

Final Paper 

Part 1 due Day 7 of Week 3 (200 points). Parts 1 and 2 due Day 7 of Week 7 (300 points)

For this paper you will work individually to conceptualize a program evaluation for a human service organization.  The final paper should be no more than 12 pages (Title page, abstract, references and Logic Model do not contribute to page count) in length following APA 6^th edition formatting. You should have 5-8 scholarly references. Your paper will be submitted in two parts. Part 1 is due Day 7 of Week 3. Parts 1 and 2 (edits and revisions based on instructor feedback are required) is due Day 7 of Week 7. For the final paper, you are to use headings and sub-headings covering all the sections below:

Part 1 –Due Day 7 of Week 3

1. Introduction (1 page)
   1. The agency or program of focus
   2. The mission/vision of the agency or program
   3. The client population served
   4. The services/entitlements/programs provided
   5. What is lacking in the agency or program that could benefit from an evaluation
2. Background of the Program and Statement of the Evaluation Goals (1-2 pages)
   1. Describe the program, including its goals and objectives
   2. List the goals of your proposed evaluation. Specify the program evaluation approach   and the proposed methodology to be discussed in detail in Part 2.
3. Brief Literature Review (2-3 pages): What is known already about evaluating this type of program? Have program evaluations been conducted? What was found? What is lacking?
4. Logic Model (included as an Appendix): Provide a visual model on the selected agency and key components to consider for the evaluation proposal

   Parts 1 and 2 (edits and revisions based on instructor feedback are required) is due Day 7 of Week 7. Content for Part 2 is sections V-VII.

5. Proposed Methodology (2-3 pages): How would you evaluate the program?
   1. Evaluation design (i.e. design is clearly stated and reasoning is provided)
   2. Sample (i.e. selected sampling frame and reasoning provided)
   3. Data collection techniques (i.e. how will data be collected?)
   4. Data collection instruments (i.e. what will be used to gather data?)
   5. Data Analysis (i.e. what is the overall process for qual or quan data?)
   6. Outcome measures (i.e. what are the objectives of this proposal?)
   7. Limitations of the study (i.e what are the proposed limitations? This will be discussed in detail in VII)
6. Proposed Results (2-3 pages):
   1. What descriptive statistics would you use to describe the proposed sample?
   2. What statistical tests/analysis would you conduct?
   3. If implemented what could these findings mean?  What could account for these findings other than the intervention?
   4. How could the limitations of the study (the design, instrument, sample, reliability, validity) influence findings?
7. Conclusions and Recommendations (2-3 pages)
   1. Recommendations regarding the program:  Based on your proposal, what does the program need to do? Are there cost/funding considerations?
   2. Recommendations for future evaluation research:  What recommendations would you make to other researchers interested in evaluating this type of program?  Be specific.

NOTE for Sections V and VI: The objective is for you to practice forward critical thinking. Based on the discussions of the proposed analysis and proposed results – what can you infer will be the next steps of the process? Based on the identified area of need in the Introduction, can you assess if the program goals are appropriate? These are just some (of many) items to consider.

PowerPoint Presentation 

Due Day 3 of Week 8 (100 points)

You will create a PowerPoint presentation of your final paper. Refer to the PowerPoint Presentation Rubric for the necessary items to include. You have creative freedom (i.e. font, color scheme, number of slides, etc) on this task. It is recommended that if images are included, they be Clip Art or public domain images in an effort to respect copyright laws. Post to the Discussion board AND submit to assignment link by day 3 of Week 8.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Point Value	% of Grade
Participation	400 points (40 pts x 10 discussion forums)	40%
Part 1 of Final Paper	200 points	20%
Parts 1 & 2 of Final Paper	300 points	30%
PowerPoint Presentation	100 points	10%
Total	1,000 points	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00