Evaluation, 15 credits
Contents
Part 1: The social and political context of evaluation and evaluation as practice, 7,5 hp
In part 1 of the course evaluation is studied both as a social phenomenon and as a practice and craft. Questions dealt with during this part of the course are: What is policy and programme evaluation? How does evaluation differ from research? What social trends explain the expansion of evaluation and monitoring systems? How does evaluation relate to the “evidence debate”? From a more practical point of view, the course introduces different evaluation models and discusses how to design evaluations for specific purposes.
Part 2: The use and abuse of evaluation and “the evaluation society”, 7,5hp
Part 2 of the course addresses the following questions: What kind of problems are professional evaluators often confronted with in the course of their work? How are evaluations used? How can we assess the quality of evaluations (meta-evaluation)? The course also includes a component on information seeking skills.
Expected learning outcomes
On successful completion of the course, the student will:
- Critically analyse the role of evaluation in society, its relation to the “evidence debate”, and why it has become so widespread.
- Be able to analyse different forms of evaluation use.
- Be able to identify different evaluation models and their relative strengths and weaknesses;
- Demonstrate skills in designing an evaluation plan for a specific purpose;
- Demonstrate skills in meta-evaluation;
- Know how to apply ethical guidelines for evaluators;
- Have an understanding of practical problems that professional evaluators often have to deal with;
- Demonstrate independent skills in presenting an argument in written and oral form;
- Demonstrate skills in information seeking;
- Communicate evaluation knowledge to different audiences.
Required Knowledge
Basic eligibility
Form of instruction
The course content is delivered through lectures, seminars, group and individual work. Compulsory attendance is required in group work and seminars. All lectures and seminars are held in English.
Examination modes
Examination of part 1 of the course is in the form of active participation in seminars and group work, as well as an assignment. The assignment is to design an evaluation for a specific purpose. The case will be provided by the tutor. The assignment will be carried out in pairs or groups. The design will be presented both orally and in written form. Grades will be awarded for both the oral presentation and the written report.
The grading scale for this part is: Pass with distinction, Pass, Fail. Attendance at the compulsory seminars is required in order to be eligible for a pass grade for the course as a whole. Grading decisions are based on an assessment of the individual student’s performance. In case of a student being awarded a fail grade, she or he has the right to be re-examined in a form and at a time agreed upon in consultation with the examiner.
Examination of part 2 of this course is in the form of active participation in seminars and group work, as well as an assignment. The assignment is to conduct a written meta-evaluation of an evaluation chosen by the student. The meta-evaluation should demonstrate an understanding of the course literature. This assignment is to be carried out individually and handed in to the relevant course tutor at the end of the course.
The grading scale for this part is: Pass with distinction, Pass, Fail. Attendance at the compulsory seminars is required in order to be eligible for a pass grade for the course as a whole. Grading decisions are based on an assessment of the individual student’s performance. In case of a student being awarded a fail grade, she or he has the right to be re-examined in a form and at a time agreed upon in consultation with the examiner
In order to gain a pass grade for the 15 credit course as a whole, a pass grade must be attained in part 1 and in part 2 of the course. In order to be awarded the grade pass with distinction for the whole 15 credit course, each of the two parts must be passed with distinction. Gaining a pass grade in one of the modules and a pass with distinction grade in the other module leads to a pass grade in the 15 credit course as a whole.
Students have the right to be re-examined up to five times per course. Examination and supplementary examination based on the syllabus outlined here can be guaranteed for up to two years after the start of the course. If a student is awarded a fail grade on at least two consecutive attempts of the examination of the course or part of course, she or he has the right to request a new examiner. The director of studies should be consulted in such circumstances.
Other regulations
Academic credit transfers are always reviewed individually. For further information about this contact the study advisor. See also Umeå University’s set of rules and academic transfer regulations.
Other regulations
Decisions relating to academic credit transfers are made on a case-by-case basis. For further information about this contact the study advisor. See also Umeå University’s set of rules and academic transfer (regulations.www.umu.se/studentcentrum/regler_riktlinjer/regelsamlingen/examensfragor.html)
Academic credit transfers are reviewed individually. For more information, please see the University’s set of rules and academic credit transfer regulations.
Literature
Part 1: The social and political context of evaluation and evaluation as practice, 7,5 hp
Dahler-Larsen Peter
The evaluation society
Stanford, California :
Stanford Business Books, an imprint of Stanford University Press :
2012 :
x, 265 s. :
ISBN: 9780804776929
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Evaluation
: a systematic approach
Rossi Peter Henry, Freeman Howard E., Lipsey Mark W.
7. ed. :
Thousand Oaks, CAb Sage,c 2004 :
Sage :
2004 :
x, 470 s. :
ISBN: 0-7619-0894-3
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Vedung Evert
Four Waves of Evaluation Diffusion
Evaluation, 16(3) 263-277 :
2010 :
Mandatory
Weiss Carol H.
Evaluation
: methods for studying programs and policies
2., [rev.] ed. :
Upper Saddle River, N.J. :
Prentice Hall :
cop. 1998 :
xii, 372 s. :
ISBN: 0-13-309725-0 (hft.)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Weiss Carol H
Theory-Based Evaluation: Past, Present, and Future
New Directions for Evaluation. (Special Issue: Progress and Future Directions in Evaluation: Perspectives on Theory, Practice, and Methods). Vol. 1997, no. 76. Winter 1997, pages 41-55 :
1997 :
Mandatory
What counts as credible evidence in applied research and evaluation practice?
Donaldson Stewart I., Christie Christina A., Mark Melvin M.
Los Angeles :
SAGE :
cop. 2009 :
xviii, 265 p. :
ISBN: 9781412957076 (pbk. : acid-free paper)
Search the University Library catalogue
Reference literature
UNAIDS. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Basic Terminology and Frameworks for Monitoring and Evaluation
UNAIDS; Monitoring and Evaluation Fundamentals. :
2010 :
http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/document/2010/7_1-Basic-Terminology-and-Frameworks-MEF.pdf
Frans L. Leeuw
Reconstructing Program Theories: Methods Available and Problems to be Solved
Included in:
The American journal of evaluation.
Stamford, CT :
JAI Press :
1998- :
24 :
16 pages
Other texts will be included in the obligatory reading list for the course.
Part 2: The use and abuse of evaluation and “the evaluation society”, 7,5hp
Quality, Context, and Use: Issues in Achieving the Goals of Metaevaluation
Cooksy Leslie J, Caracelli Valerie J
American Journal of Evaluation, 2005, 26: 31-44 :
Mandatory
Dahler-Larsen Peter
The evaluation society
Stanford, California :
Stanford Business Books, an imprint of Stanford University Press :
2012 :
x, 265 s. :
ISBN: 9780804776929
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
What counts as credible evidence in applied research and evaluation practice?
Donaldson Stewart I., Christie Christina A., Mark Melvin M.
Los Angeles :
SAGE :
cop. 2009 :
xviii, 265 p. :
ISBN: 9781412957076 (pbk. : acid-free paper)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Evaluation
: a systematic approach
Rossi Peter Henry, Freeman Howard E., Lipsey Mark W.
7. ed. :
Thousand Oaks, CAb Sage,c 2004 :
Sage :
2004 :
x, 470 s. :
ISBN: 0-7619-0894-3
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Stufflebeam Daniel, L.
The Metaevaluation Imperative
Included in:
The American journal of evaluation.
Stamford, CT :
JAI Press :
1998- :
22 :
183-209 pages
Mandatory
Weiss Carol H.
Evaluation
: methods for studying programs and policies
2., [rev.] ed. :
Upper Saddle River, N.J. :
Prentice Hall :
cop. 1998 :
xii, 372 s. :
ISBN: 0-13-309725-0 (hft.)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Reference literature
UNAIDS. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Basic Terminology and Frameworks for Monitoring and Evaluation
UNAIDS; Monitoring and Evaluation Fundamentals. :
2010 :
http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/document/2010/7_1-Basic-Terminology-and-Frameworks-MEF.pdf
Other texts will be included in the obligatory reading list for the course
Part 1: The social and political context of evaluation and evaluation as practice, 7,5 hp
Basic Terminology and Frameworks for Monitoring UNAIDS; Monitoring and Evaluation Fundamentals.
UNAIDS :
Mandatory
Capturing effects
: of projects and programmes
Turner Brian, Svensson Lennart
1. ed. :
Lund :
Studentlitteratur :
2013 :
254 s. :
ISBN: 9789144093000
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
The 2004 Claremont Debate: Lipsey vs. Scriven
Donaldson Stewart I, Christie Christina A
Determining Causality in Program Evaluation & Applied Research: Should Experimental Evidence Be the Gold Standard? :
Mandatory
Evaluation
: a systematic approach
Rossi Peter Henry, Freeman Howard E., Lipsey Mark W.
7. ed. :
Thousand Oaks, CAb Sage,c 2004 :
Sage :
2004 :
x, 470 s. :
ISBN: 0-7619-0894-3
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Vedung Evert
Four Waves of Evaluation Diffusion
Evaluation, 16(3) 263-277 :
2010 :
Mandatory
Weiss Carol H.
Evaluation
: methods for studying programs and policies
2., [rev.] ed. :
Upper Saddle River, N.J. :
Prentice Hall :
cop. 1998 :
xii, 372 s. :
ISBN: 0-13-309725-0 (hft.)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Weiss Carol H
Theory-Based Evaluation: Past, Present, and Future
New Directions for Evaluation. (Special Issue: Progress and Future Directions in Evaluation: Perspectives on Theory, Practice, and Methods). Vol. 1997, no. 76. Winter 1997, pages 41-55 :
1997 :
Mandatory
Other texts will be included in the obligatory reading list for the course.
Part 2: The use and abuse of evaluation and “the evaluation society”, 7,5hp
Basic Terminology and Frameworks for Monitoring UNAIDS; Monitoring and Evaluation Fundamentals.
UNAIDS :
Mandatory
Capturing effects
: of projects and programmes
Turner Brian, Svensson Lennart
1. ed. :
Lund :
Studentlitteratur :
2013 :
254 s. :
ISBN: 9789144093000
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Quality, Context, and Use: Issues in Achieving the Goals of Metaevaluation
Cooksy Leslie J, Caracelli Valerie J
American Journal of Evaluation, 2005, 26: 31-44 :
Mandatory
Hanberger Anders
The real functions of evaluation and response systems
Included in:
Evaluation
London :
Sage :
17 :
327-349 pages
Mandatory
Evaluation
: a systematic approach
Rossi Peter Henry, Freeman Howard E., Lipsey Mark W.
7. ed. :
Thousand Oaks, CAb Sage,c 2004 :
Sage :
2004 :
x, 470 s. :
ISBN: 0-7619-0894-3
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue
Stufflebeam Daniel, L.
The Metaevaluation Imperative
Included in:
The American journal of evaluation.
Stamford, CT :
JAI Press :
1998- :
22 :
183-209 pages
Mandatory
Weiss Carol H.
Evaluation
: methods for studying programs and policies
2., [rev.] ed. :
Upper Saddle River, N.J. :
Prentice Hall :
cop. 1998 :
xii, 372 s. :
ISBN: 0-13-309725-0 (hft.)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue