Practical Guide to Program Evaluation Planning

"A Practical Guide to Program Evaluation Planning: Theory and Case Examples" provides a step-by-step process to guide evaluators in planning a comprehensive, yet feasible, program evaluation - from start to design - within any context. No book currently on the market delineates the required steps for preparing to conduct an evaluation. The co-editors of this text developed a model to guide the complex process of planning for program evaluations in a variety of settings. This model, entitled Evaluation Planning Incorporating Context (EPIC), builds on previous work by providing a practical, applied step-by-step process for planning a program evaluation in any setting. Contributing authors then use the EPIC model to describe an evaluation process that they followed in a variety of settings. The EPIC model and the case examples presented in this book provide evaluators with the conceptual tools and a framework for thinking about the pre-evaluation tasks that may be necessary for a successful, useful, and informative evaluation. Key features of this title are as mentioned below. It presents a new evaluation planning model that provides a step-by step process for how to plan for a program evaluation in any context. It introduces students to the issues in planning for an evaluation within selected contexts using case studies. It focuses on planning prior to design by providing practical guidance to plan an evaluation from the start, before a design can or has been determined.