Program Evaluation Courses

Our courses, led by experienced Ph.D. level evaluators, are delivered entirely online, giving students the flexibility to fit school into their already busy life. Our curriculum was thoughtfully designed to provide general evaluation training aligned with the American Evaluation Association Competencies for Evaluators.

As shown the figure below, the suite of courses offered cover each of the main aspects of a typical evaluation process. Also, our evaluation courses are highly skill-based and provides students with opportunities to learn with and from diverse classmates and instructors.

Course Descriptions

To read more about the courses, click on the + to the right of the course name. Here you will find a description of the course, the semesters in which it is offered, and a list of the American Evaluation Association Evaluator Competencies (PDF 210KB) to which the course is aligned.

Description

• Explain what program evaluation is and what program evaluators do.
• Identify how professional evaluation practice standards are used to determine the quality of an evaluation process and its products.
• Describe the basic tenets of the central theories of program evaluation practice.
• Compare and contrast theoretical approaches to evaluation practice.
• Identify how theories are used to inform practice decision-making.
• Describe the state of research on evaluation theory and practice.

Offered Summer and Fall Semesters; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
• Context Competencies 3.1, 3.4, 3.8
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.4
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.5, 5.7

Description

• Select an evaluation design that meets clients’ informational needs.
• Identify and engage stakeholders in planning an evaluation design.
• Develop an appropriate sampling & recruitment design for an evaluation.
• Design a needs assessment.
• Construct a logic model and/or theory of change.
• Design a process evaluation.
• Determine program availability.
• Design an outcome evaluation.
• Determine when ongoing program monitoring is appropriate.

Offered Spring and Fall Semesters; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.8
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.12
• Context Competencies 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.2, 4.4, 4.7
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 5.7

Description

• Understand why and how to protect human rights when conducting evaluations.
• Explain the criteria used to judge the quality of quantitative and qualitative data and apply strategies for maximizing data quality when planning and conducting evaluation data collection.
• Write survey questions for a given evaluation.
• Find an existing measure of a construct of interest in a given evaluation.
• Design a self-administered questionnaire to collect data for a given evaluation.
• Use cognitive interviewing to improve a questionnaire for a given evaluation.
• Design a qualitative interview protocol for a given evaluation.
• Conduct a qualitative interview to collect data for a given evaluation.
• Plan a focus group for a given evaluation.
• Develop a focus group question route for a given evaluation.
• Write field notes based on direct observations of a setting.
• Design and test a structured observation protocol for a given evaluation.
• Assess the usability of agency records as a data source for a given evaluation.
• Identify potential secondary data sources and assess their appropriateness for a given evaluation.
• Demonstrate an ability to work effectively with colleagues to complete team-based tasks.

Offered Fall Semester Only; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.4
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.6, 2.9, 2.10
• Context Competencies
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.7
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.8

Description

• Describe the logic, limitations, and application of descriptive and inferential statistics in an evaluation context.
• Given a quantitative evaluation, identify which descriptive and inferential statistics should be used.
• Given quantitative evaluation data, create an SPSS database and codebook and enter, clean, and manage data in SPSS.
• Given a quantitative evaluation, identify which descriptive statistics should be used; obtain said statistics from SPSS, interpret, and write-up results for an evaluation report.
• Identify specific evaluation contexts in which you would use divaricated correlations and multiple regression, and conduct divaricated correlation and multiple regression in SPSS.
• Interpret and describe the results of divaricated correlation and multiple regression in SPSS for an evaluation report.

Offered Spring Semester Only; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.4
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14
• Context Competencies 3.5
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.3, 4.6, 4.8, 4.10
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.6

Description

• Identify strategic themes and key traditions in qualitative research.
• Construct evaluation questions that are appropriate for qualitative research designs.
• Use a range of data collection techniques to gather qualitative data.
• Implement basic procedures to analyze and interpret qualitative data.
• Use verification strategies and quality criteria to ensure quality in qualitative studies.
• Describe common approaches to mixed methods analysis and identify challenges associated with conducting mixed methods studies.

Offered Spring and Summer Semesters; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2,2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14
• Context Competencies
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.10
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2

Description

• Identify relevant audiences for an evaluation’s findings.
• Facilitate workshops to elicit stakeholder values and reflections on findings.
• Create a basic dissemination plan.
• Develop effective data displays.
• Present findings in diverse oral and written formats.
• Demonstrate knowledge of innovative methods for presenting evaluation findings.

Offered Spring Semester Only; No Prerequisites

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.9
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.6, 2.8, 2.13, 2.14
• Context Competencies 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.9
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2, 5.6

Description

• Developed a compelling resume and cover letter.
• Identified and made verbal contact with potential practicum sites.
• Interviewed for positions at potential practicum sites.
• Selected a site and identified an on-site supervisor to oversee your practicum experience and evaluate your performance.
• Negotiated terms for the practicum with the on-site supervisor and submitted a draft learning contract to instructors.
• Provided on-site supervisor with draft of learning contract.
• Signed a learning contract with the on-site supervisor.

Offered Spring Semester Only; No Prerequisites

Description

• Apply ethical standards to quantitative data management, analysis, and reporting.
• Understand the logic, limitations, and application of inferential and non-parametric statistics in an evaluation context.
• Identify specific evaluation contexts in which you would use t-tests, ANOVAs, and various non-parametric statistics, and conduct them in SPSS.
• Interpret and report the results of t-tests, ANOVAs, and various non-parametric statistics
• Calculate the effect size of an intervention.
• Conduct a power analysis to determine sample size or power to detect an intervention effect.
• Address missing and non-normal data.
• Given an evaluation, choose the appropriate statistical analysis and write an analysis plan.

Offered Summer Semester Only; Prerequisite PSY 883

AEA Evaluator Competencies

• Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.4
• Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14
• Context Competencies 3.5
• Planning and Management Competencies 4.3, 4.6, 4.8, 4.10
• Interpersonal Competencies 5.6

Description

• Reflect on how their own career aspirations fit within the field of program evaluation management by:
  • Assessing their own level of program evaluation management expertise.
  • Discussing the differences between structures and processes of managing evaluations within different contexts.
  • Writing an evaluation proposal with tasks, timeline and budget components
  • Estimating evaluation costs.
  • Developing evaluation contracts with both clients and evaluation team members.
  • Assessing the data quality of organization.
  • Discussing ways to assure high quality data collection, entry, analysis, reporting and storage.
  • Completing a full set of Institutional Review Board application forms.
  • Discussing how to manage IRB reporting requirements when a project violates human subjects protections.
  • Conducting a stakeholder analysis.
  • Discussing how to develop and work with Evaluation Advisory Groups.
  • Conducting effective meetings.
  • Developing a lesson plan for facilitating discussions related to evaluation use.
  • Experimenting with verbal and nonverbal communication.

  Offered Fall Semester Only; No Prerequisites

  AEA Evaluator Competencies

  • Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.6
  • Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14
  • Context Competencies 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6
  • Planning and Management Competencies 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.10
  • Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

  Description

  Program Evaluation Practicum is a two-semester, 6-credit, supervised practical application course in which students work alongside evaluation practitioners in a professional evaluation setting to gain first-hand understanding of how to apply the theory, methods, and skills learned in prior classes. This course provides students with the opportunity to further develop their evaluation skills by immersion in a real-world setting in which evaluations are currently being conducted. Settings might include government agencies, human service organizations, educational settings, healthcare organizations, and for-profit and nonprofit evaluation firms. Placements may be with internal or external evaluation entities. Part 1 - Summer Semester Only Part 2 - Fall Semester Only

  AEA Evaluator Competencies

  • Professional Practice Competencies 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7
  • Methodology Competencies 2.1, 2.2, 2.8, 2.10, 2.11
  • Context Competencies 3.1, 3.2, 3.5
  • Planning and Management Competencies 4.2, 4.6, 4.7
  • Interpersonal Competencies 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8

  Program Requirements

  To earn the program evaluation masters, students must complete the full suite of courses offered. This includes eight core content courses (24 credits) and a three-semester practicum sequence (13 credits).

  To earn the program evaluation certificate, students must complete four of the eight core content courses (12 credits) as follows: 1) PSY 880: Foundations of Evaluation; 2) either PSY 881: Evaluation Design or PSY 884: Qualitative and Mixed Method Evaluation; and 3) any two of the other core content courses not already completed.

  All of our courses except the practicum (PSY 886 & 889) can be taken for professional development through the MSU Lifelong Education program. Contact us to find out if there is space available.

  Find more information about the requirements on the Programs page.