Embedding Program Evaluation in Public Health Practice: Why, What, and How focuses on the integration of evaluation throughout the life of a program and practice-friendly evaluation strategies.
**Instructions to access the videos will be provided after you register.**
Part 1, Evaluation, what’s in it for me? answers several important questions practitioners may have about evaluation: Why are so many programs under- or un-evaluated? Why do programs fail and how can evaluation prevent it? What does evaluation look like in different phases of a program? What are the barriers to evaluation?
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of part 1, participants will be able to:

• define evaluation;
• explain what program problems evaluation can help address;
• name the forms of evaluation that are used at different phases of a program; and
• cite several barriers to evaluation that embedded evaluation can help overcome.

Part 2, The Power of Evaluative Thinking encourages viewers to consider what factors influence program success and introduces the idea of evaluative thinking. Viewers are also challenged to consider how program work could be improved if it included more evaluative thinking.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of part 2, participants will be able to:

• cite evaluation questions that can be asked at each of the four (4) stages of program implementation;
• explain why evaluation should not be limited to one stage of the program life cycle;
• define what evaluative thinking is; and
• describe what behaviors or questions are evident in situations where evaluative thinking is commonplace.

Part 3, Evaluation, Informed Beginnings challenges viewers to consider the value of using evaluative thinking from the start of every public health project. Why should practitioners spend time and resources on formative evaluative thinking? Where should you focus your resources? What if you just don’t know what you don't know? What are some responsible and ethical reasons for incorporating an evaluative mindset from the beginning of your program?
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of part 3, participants will be able to:

• describe the role of formative evaluative thinking in assuring the proper development of a program;
• cite several practical questions that formative evaluation can help answer;
• explain why every program has multiple audiences and how to find out what they expect; and
• describe a practical method to overcome the feeling that you don't even know what to ask.

Part 4, Evaluation-informed Implementation explains the application of evaluation-informed thinking in process evaluation, the implementation-phase application of evaluation. The video connects process evaluation to continuous quality improvement and offers questions that should be asked during the implementation phase in order to improve a program in the future.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of part 4, participants will be able to:

• describe what is meant by process evaluation;
• explain how process evaluation is connected to the quality improvement cycle;
• cite reasons why including stakeholders is important when formulating process evaluation questions; and
• describe how to apply the results of a process evaluation analysis to improving a program in later versions.

Part 5, Evaluating Outcomes explores the utilization-focused approach to outcomes evaluation. Viewers will learn why it's important to start with the end in mind and to think about a program in terms of steps that lead to that end. The video also explores why it's important to think about the questions that you would like your outcomes evaluation to answer and how to narrow those down to make sure the results are usable.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of part 5, participants will be able to:

• describe what is meant by utilization-focused evaluation;
• define divergent and convergent thinking;
• explain how understanding phased outcomes is useful in evaluating program outcomes;
• describe what criteria should be used to select questions to include in an outcomes evaluation; and
• explain why designing evaluations with outcomes in mind makes them easier to evaluate.

Target Audience
This presentation is appropriate for managers at all levels of experience who wish to understand the principles of evaluation and improve the evaluation of their programs, though professionals with some prior experience are likely to more quickly understand how the content may be applied to real-world situations.
Instructor
Carolyn Cumpsty-Fowler, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing with a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Curriculum Leader at the JHU Local Performance Site of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center. Evaluative thinking and workforce skills development are two themes that connect all Dr. Fowler's practice, teaching, and research. Specifically, this involves using evaluation, evaluative thinking, and qualitative inquiry in the design, implementation, and evaluation of graduate education, hospital-based and public health programs at the local level, and the development of organizational and community capacity for assets-focused solution-finding.
For more information about this course or for assistance with registration, contact marphtc@pitt.edu.