Course Syllabus

HR 5733 - Program Assessment and Evaluation

Faculty Contact Information

This table includes information about how to contact your instructor and other important details about your class

	Office Hours: At the conclusion of each Live Session and by appointment Email: Bert@ou.edu Live Session: Mondays, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Central Zoom link:  https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/98203175412?pwd=y2fPj5WGDXuN6JwF7I4umXVL17jgaq.1 Meeting ID: 982 0317 5412 Passcode: 60619962
Shannon Bert, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Human Relations

Course Details

Course Prerequisites 

Students must have graduate standing in the Human Relations program.

Course Materials

Required:

There are no required textbooks to purchase for this course. Required readings and videos are available on the Required Resources page of each module.

Recommended (not required):

• Fitzpatrick, J. L., Sanders, J. R., Worthen, B. R. (2011). Program evaluation: Alternative approaches and practical guidelines, 4^th edition. Pearson. ISBN: 978 0 205 57935 8
• Newcomer, K. E., Hatry, H. P., & Wholey, J. S. (2015). Handbook of practical program evaluation, 4^th edition. John Wiley & Sons.

Note: Many of the course readings for weeks 3–8 are taken from the second and third editions of the Newcomer et al. (2015) text. The citations for the earlier editions are below:

• Wholey, J. S., Hatry, H. P., & Newcomer, K. E., (2004). Handbook of practical program evaluation, 2^nd edition. John Wiley & Sons.
• Wholey, J. S., Hatry, H. P., & Newcomer, K. E., (2010). Handbook of practical program evaluation, 3^rd edition. John Wiley & Sons.

Grades

Breakdown

Course activities and grades listed for each activity

Graded Assignments & Activities	Description	Individual Points	Percentage
Weekly Live Sessions	Synchronous Zoom meetings	8 Live Sessions × 10 points each	20%
Discussion Board Participation	Asynchronous Discussion topics	8 Discussions × 10 points each	20%
Written Assignment #1	Program Statement Memo	50	10%
Written Assignment #2	Evaluation Questions & Measurement Memo	50	10%
Proposal Presentation	Present Evaluation Proposal	50	10%
Final Evaluation Proposal	Evaluation Proposal—Final Paper	100	30%
		Total	100%

Scale

Grade Scale

Percentage of Points	Letter Grade
90%-100%	A
80%-89%	B
70%-79%	C
60%-69%	D
Below 60%	F

Course Components

Weekly Live Sessions

There will be eight Live Sessions. You are encouraged to participate in weekly Live Sessions over the course of the semester. The primary purpose of these Live Sessions is build an online community of learners.

Discussion Board Participation

There will be eight weekly threaded discussion topic assignments (10 points each). These online discussion boards will be based on assigned readings.

To receive full credit for a weekly Threaded Discussion assignment, you must answer all the questions posed, as well as comment on the response of at least two other classmates for each question posted. Additional expectations regarding original and response Threaded Discussion are provided below:

• Original posts must:
  • Fully address the question(s) posed
  • Be written in complete sentences and at least 200 words in length
  • Include reference information for any unassigned learning resources cited
  • Draw connections with observations of and/or experiences with transitioning theory to practice, when possible
• Response posts must:
  • Be written in complete sentences and at least 100 words in length
  • Be reasonable and courteous
  • Include reference information for any unassigned learning resources cited
  • Go beyond the general sentiments of “I disagree” or “I agree,” and specifically address why another post differs from or resonates with previous experiences and/or observations

Here are some questions to consider when formulating your responses to the weekly readings:

• What do you see as the most valuable contribution, thesis, or idea from this material?
• What aspects of the author’s findings or argument do you find especially useful, well-argued, problematic, confusing, or unconvincing?
• How does this connect to some of our key ideas or themes in the course? 

Written Assignments

The written assignments for this course provide an evaluation of learning over the course content material that may not be adequately reflected in the standard format of an exam. The assignment descriptions here are not enough to complete assignments. Detailed instructions are provided on the assignment pages.

Program Statement Memo

Submit a short (3–4 page) description of a selected program that addresses the following:

• The problem/need addressed by the intervention
• The intended beneficiaries of the program
• The intended benefits
• The causal model/program theory underlying the program.

This memo is a preliminary step in writing the final evaluation proposal.

Evaluation Questions & Measurement Memo (3–4 pages)

Using the program model developed in the first memo, develop and present a logic model, specify the evaluation questions, operational definitions, and specific measures you would use in an evaluation of the program. This memo is a second step towards writing the final evaluation proposal.

Presentations & Peer Review Feedback

Using the program model and evaluation questions and measures developed in earlier assignments, each student presents an evaluation design proposal (a brief draft of the final project) and receives peer critique with the instructor's supervision.

Presentations include program theory and descriptions and outcome measures from earlier assignments, as well as design rationale, and data collection strategies. Clarity, application of concepts discussed in class, and the rationale behind your evaluation design choices are emphasized.

Final Paper / Evaluation Proposal

The final paper builds on earlier assignments. You will design a comprehensive evaluation proposal for a chosen program. The design proposal will focus on the outcome or impact of evaluation, with a strong emphasis on process evaluation and measurement strategies. Detailed instructions for the final paper/evaluation proposal are available on Canvas, including criteria for the project and assignment milestones.

Follow APA style in citing references that you use. The final paper should be typed and meet the following requirements:

• Use 12-point font
• Use double spacing
• Contain a title page
• Contain no more than 20 pages (not counting title page and references

Pay close attention to your writing style and carefully edit your papers.

Tentative Course Schedule

The topical course outline below presents the content topics that will be presented in the course and the approximate dates on which those topics will be presented. Specific readings will be assigned for each topic.

Weekly Course Topics

Week	Topics
Week 1	Basic purpose of evaluation and assessment, uses, and conceptual definitions
Week 2	Alternative evaluation approaches
Week 3	Clarifying the evaluation request and responsibilities
Week 4	Practical guidelines for planning evaluations; logic models
Week 5	Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative data
Week 6	Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative data
Week 7	Reporting and using evaluation information
Week 8	Conducting multi-site evaluation studies

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Course Policies

Holiday Policy

All Zoom Live Sessions that occur on Monday holidays will be held as usual. Students who are unable to attend can view the recorded session in Canvas that will be made available the next day.

Communication

I will make every effort to respond to emails within 24-48 hours of receipt, except on weekends. There are several modes of communication you can use - Canvas messages and email. The option of contacting the me directly for an appointment time is available and contact information is listed on the course syllabus. Please be courteous and respectful of my time.

Announcements will periodically be made on the course homepage of Canvas. Additionally, university and advising information will be sent to students’ OU emails. Students must check both their Canvas messaging system and their OU email account regularly.

Grading

Discussion posts will be graded within 5 days of their due date and papers within approximately 7 days, depending on the depth and rigor of the assignment.

Late Policy

Assignment due dates are listed above and specific instructions for each assignment are listed in Canvas. Due to the accelerated nature of the course, late work is subject to a 50% grade reduction. However, if an unforeseen issue arises, please contact the faculty as soon as possible to discuss accommodations.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries. 

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