1 Semester

3 Hours per Week

Hawthorn

Nil 

Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

Aims & Objectives:

The aim of this unit is to build upon research design and analysis skills acquired during undergraduate study and to apply these skills to the evaluation of human services. The unit will introduce you to major aspects of program evaluation. It will show you how to plan an evaluation, take into account the interests of various stakeholders, develop appropriate research designs and measures, including use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, in order to conduct various types of evaluations.

Teaching Methods:

One hour lecture, two hour seminar

Assessment:

Class presentations (hurdle) Group project (30%) Individual evaluation proposal (70%)

Generic Skills Outcomes:

Graduates are capable in their chosen profession:

• Able to gather information systematically from a range of sources
• Have highly developed verbal and written skills
• A capacity to present research to a range of audiences
• Understand basic principles of measurement in psychology and can apply these principles to research.

Graduates are adaptable and manage change.

Graduates operate effectively in work and community situations:

• Communicate effectively with professionals and the community
• Adaptable, flexible, open to new ideas and able to manage change.

Graduates are aware of environments:

• Are culturally sensitive, with a respect for multiple points of view.

Graduates are entrepreneurial

• Develop consultancy skills.

Content:

Topics include:

• Research design in field settings.
• Measurement in human services research.
• Qualitative research methodologies.
• Meta-analysis.
• Program evaluation methods and designs.
• Collecting and analysing evaluation data.
• Reporting research.

Reading Materials:

Patton, MQ, Qualitative evaluation and research methods, Newbury Park, Sage, California, 2002.
Posavac, EJ & Carey, RG, Program Evaluation, 6th edn, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 2003.
Rossi, PH, Freeman HE & Lipsey MW, Evaluation: a systematic approach, 6th edn, Thousand Oaks, Sage, 1999.