Session 2

The Landscape of Program Evaluation

Emison, Ch2; CDC Framework on Program Evaluation in Public Health; Kelogg Evaluation Handbook, Ch1-3

Topics:

• Historical foundations of program evaluation.
• The role of "public interest" in program evaluation.
• Who defines the public's interest.
• Measuring public interest
• The limits of public interest.
• Instrumental rationality in program evaluation.
• The limitations of instrumental rationality.
• Categorizing and assessing instrumental rationality.
• Program evaluation design as intrumental rationality.
• Data collection and analysis.
• The Four C's and the landscape of evaluation.

Homework:

Homework entails reading the article entitled "To What End Are We Living?" by Trevor Malkinson and answering these questions:

1. What is the problem with instrumental reasoning?
2. Why has the desire for the "good life" become problematic in our time?
3. How does "integral methodological pluralism" relate to instrumental reasoning?
4. How do the issues associated with instrumental reasoning impact programs that seek to promote public and civic welfare (i.e. pursuing if not the "good life" at least a better one) while seeming to ignore environmental welfare? In this regard consider the case study involving wilderness utilization in Alaska and Finland.
5. What is meant by "instrumental rationality" and what are its limits?
6. Who defines public interest?
7. Identify the historical foundations of program evaluation.
8. From the Kellogg perspective describe the "three levels of evaluation."
9. Summarize Kellogg's planning, implementation and utilization steps.
10. Summarize the CDC Six-Step Framework.

NOTE: Submit the questions with your answers in World format as attachments to Canvas email and submit this homework - complete with APA citations and references - to the instructor by no later than 5 pm on the last day of Session 2 (as designated on the course schedule page that is linked above).