Advanced Program Evaluation

Click on the appropriate button to begin. If you are employed by NYS or a local health department in NYS, we recommend that you register for this course through the NYS Department of Health Learning Management System (DOH LMS) .

I am NOT a New York State Employee I Work for NYSDOH or a LHD in NYS

Overview

Learners will take on the role of a staff member at the Middleton County Health Department who is tasked with helping to develop an evaluation plan for an obesity-prevention program recently launched in Middleton County. Using the CDC Program Evaluation Framework, learners will connect each step of the framework with a section of the evaluation plan, going into detailed discussion about: incorporating stakeholders, logic models and evaluation questions in the process; characteristics of different research designs for evaluation and considerations for choosing an appropriate design; options for data collection methods and sampling; and thinking through threats to validity. Additionally, the learner will review strategies for conducting rigorous evaluations within constraints of budget, time, and resources.

Advanced Program Evaluation builds on the knowledge and skills obtained from the Program Evaluation training series. See “Prerequisites” for additional information.

Learning Objectives

For a given public health program evaluation plan, trainees will be able to:

  • Appreciate that a comprehensive evaluation plan addresses a program logic, stakeholders, evaluation questions and evaluation design.
  • Assess advantages and limitations of evaluation designs, including randomized, quasi-experimental and pre-post designs.
  • Appraise and compare options for data collection methods, measures and sampling strategies.
  • Identify and address associated threats to validity.
  • Identify strategies for addressing budget, time, data and political constraints in evaluation practice.

Council on Linkages Core Competencies

  • 1B3 – Generates variables that measure public health conditions
  • 1B4 – Uses methods and instruments for collecting valid and reliable quantitative and qualitative data
  • 1B12 – Uses data to address scientific, political, ethical, and social public health issues
  • 2B7 – Develops plans to implement policies and programs
  • 2B9 – Develops mechanisms to monitor and evaluate programs for their effectiveness and quality
  • 3B3 – Solicits input from individuals and organizations
  • 3B5 – Presents demographic, statistical, programmatic, and scientific information for use by professional and lay audiences
  • 5B3 – Establishes linkages with key stakeholders
  • 5B4 – Facilitates collaboration and partnerships to ensure participation of key stakeholders
  • 5B5 – Maintains partnerships with key stakeholders
  • 7B8 – Evaluates program performance

Who should take this course?

  • Public health practitioners who engage in planning of program evaluation
  • Public health professionals from Tier 1 to Tier 3 may benefit from this course. It is most likely to correspond with activities of Tier 2 professionals with independent responsibilities for planning evaluation.
  • MPH students

Prerequisites

Through prior training or experience, trainees are expected to have some background knowledge of the following topics:

  • Social science research methods
  • Logic models
  • Stakeholders
  • Process and outcome evaluation
  • Evaluation questions
  • CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health

For those without this background knowledge, it is recommended that you complete the following three trainings before beginning the course: Program Development & Evaluation , Introduction to Logic Models and Evaluating a Public Health Program .

Continuing Education Credit

1 Category I CECH in health education. This activity is sponsored by the New York City-Long Island-Lower Tri-County Public Health Training Center, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for the CHES to receive 1 Category I CECH in health education.

1 CPH credit. The New York City-Long Island-Lower Tri-County Public Health Training Center is a NBPHE pre-approved provider of CPH continuing education credits.  1 CPH CE will be awarded for participation in this activity.

Estimated time to complete

45 minutes

Is NYNJ: