ECON 565 Assessments and Decisions: Program Evaluation
Program evaluation is critical to designing and operating effective programs in public and nonprofit organizations. Evaluations supply information to program managers and policymakers that can assist them in deciding which programs to fund, modify, expand or eliminate.
Program evaluation employs scientific methods to obtain and use evidence to help decision-makers assess and improve their programs. This course will introduce students to program evaluation theory and practice and includes discussion about when and why to conduct a program evaluation, as well as how to define evaluation learning objectives and select the best evaluation methods to meet the objectives.
By the end of the course, students will become familiar with the concepts, theories, and methods of evaluation research; apply principles of research design and appropriate sampling strategies to answer concrete evaluation questions; propose an appropriate evaluation plan to assess the implementation and effectiveness of a program; and proffer ideas and strategies to improve program performance based on evaluation results.
Prerequisite
Open to students in the M.A. in Applied Economics program. Other students must request permission to enroll through the Department of Economics.