Approaches and Methods of Evaluation - Einzelansicht

Evaluation can be broadly defined as the systematic collection and analysis of information about an organization’s -, a project’s - or a program’s activities, characteristics, and results to make judgments, improve or further develop effectiveness, inform future decision-making, and increase understanding. In conducting evaluations, evaluators are guided by different approaches emphasizing user-orientation, methodological rigor, values or social transformation and apply a diversity of social research methods both qualitative, quantitative, and combinations thereof.  In this course, students will gain insights in different evaluation approaches and associated methodologies and, more importantly, apply them in practice. For this end, one organization—the Zentrum für praktische Sportpsychologie (ZPS)—invites course participants to design and conduct evaluations of their services. Through this active engagement, course participants will have the opportunity to gain practical evaluation experience and meaningfully contribute to the organization’s further development. Given the substantial practical component, several disclaimers are to be considered:

1. The course is labor-intensive and requires substantial engagement outside the course sessions during the semester (evaluation planning, data collection, analysis, report). You will be supervised and supported, but the bulk of the work will be done independently, most likely in groups.
2. Students will have to record and report the results of their evaluations (possibly in groups depending on class size) in written form. The deadline for submission of reports is June 30^th 2019.      
3. Although the language of instruction is English, working-knowledge of German will be necessary for the purpose of data collection and analysis in a German-speaking organization.
4. The course entails the application of social research methods and is no introductory methods course. Students need to be familiar with principles of research design and with core methods such as interviews, surveys, analysis of existing data etc.

Stockmann, R. 2011. A Practitioner Handbook on Evaluation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Rossi, P.H., M.W. Lipsey, and Freeman, H.E. 2004. Evaluation. A Systematic Approach. Thousand Oaks: Sage.     

Weiss Carol H. 1998. Evaluation: Methods for Studying Programs and Policies. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Fitzpatrick, J.L. Sanders, J.R,. and Worthen, B.R. 2004. Program Evaluation: Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines. White Plains: Allyn and Bacon.

Stufflebeam, D. L. and Coryn, C. L. S. 2014. Evaluation Theory, Models, & Application (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.