Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
Program Transcript
AVON: Hello, Dr. Davies. Thank you for meeting me.
DEE: My pleasure. I’m glad we can meet virtually, and I’m glad you reached out to me
when you did. As you read in my email and the information I sent, we are looking to
engage in program evaluation of a few key programs. So, why don’t you tell me a bit
about yourself and what brought you to our agency in particular.
AVON: I reviewed the materials you sent, and they are helping me begin to see how I
might describe your agency and the programs and then chart a path for the evaluation.
I’m excited to learn more, and I’m so thankful for the timing. I first became aware of your
agency when my husband and I moved here a few months ago. I researched agencies
in the area even though I was taking a break from practice to focus on my DSW.
DECISION POINT 1
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: It’s really a lucky win-win. I need this experience for my DSW,
and your agency is right here in my backyard.
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 1
RESPONSE OPTION 2: Plus, I’m actually a part of this community, and I’ve seen your
agency many times just passing through town in my day-to-day. That said, I don’t know
anyone who receives services here, so we wouldn’t have a conflict of interest. Prior to
pursuing my doctoral degree, I worked in an agency that seems very much like Life
House. My supervisor there said I had knack for seeing how systems interact, and I
learned that I am very interested in that type of thinking. That’s one of the reasons why I
decided to pursue a doctoral degree.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 1
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Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
This response foregrounds the student/evaluator experience and need, making
the agency feel like you are simply using them as a means to an end. A good
way to get back on track would be to show your investment in the needs of the
agency.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 1 Again.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
This response highlights a connection to the community, which, if relevant for an
evaluator, demonstrates an understanding of the community served by the
agency. In addition, the response highlights practical experience that may apply
and connects the relevance of program evaluation to the student’s research and
doctoral experience.
o Click Here to Continue to Decision Point 2.
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Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
DECISION POINT 2
DEE: I’m glad you’re feeling a part of your new community. It’s also helpful to hear
about your background. Can you tell me about your process?
AVON: My plan would be to use a six-step process I’ve learned. First, I’d meet with the
stakeholders to get their input and listen to any concerns they might have. Next, I’d
provide a description the program, focusing on the program’s goals and intentions as
well as its services and specific client population. Then, I would conceptualize an
evaluation design that is feasible for your program and would clearly answer any
evaluation questions required by your agency. Following that, I’d implement the design,
interviewing staff and clients, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting results in a
cogent and coherent final evaluation report. Lastly, I would meet with stakeholders and
make recommendations to help apply what was learned.
DEE: That aligns with my understanding of program evaluation. I’m curious about who
you’d engage first as the stakeholders.
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: Based on my understanding of the goals I read about in the
information you provided, I’d focus on how the outcomes of the programs align with the
goals. If they show a need for improvement, that provides areas of focus to help your
executive team fine tune services, staffing, and the like. If they’re positive, of course that
would benefit your funding opportunities.
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 2
RESPONSE OPTION 2: From what I have learned so far, the stakeholders cover a
wide range of affected partnerships, from the need to show alignment between goals
and outcomes for executives and funders to the need for the clients, families, and
providers to have clarity about “on-the-ground” program effectiveness, and I believe you
can’t really look at the big picture without looking at the effects on the broader
community. I’d seek out representatives from each of these groups to help me describe
the program and use their insights to help refine the focus, collect data, and apply
findings.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 2
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Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
This response is acceptable for the stakeholders described—except it leaves out
some key stakeholders.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 2 Again.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
This response considers a wide range of stakeholders. While each stakeholder
may have a specialized focus, a program evaluation with sufficient breadth will
focus on or at least account for the partnerships that exist between each area.
o Click Here to Continue to Decision Point 3.
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Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
DECISION POINT 3
DEE: It sounds like you have a good grasp of how partnerships are a key to success.
Can you please provide a cursory outline of the evaluation plan?
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: First, I would ask clients how satisfied they are with your
program and the services they are receiving. Then, I would ask your staff if they are
happy working here and if they feel the services they are providing are effective. Finally,
I would interview members of the board of directors and other high-level stakeholders to
see what is bothering them.
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 3
RESPONSE OPTION 2: First, I would engage key stakeholders to ascertain any
concerns or questions they may have about the evaluation and note the goals and
intentions the agency has for conducting a program evaluation. Then, I would
implement a community survey to assess the current needs of the community and client
populations served by the agency. Then, I would interview staff and providers to gather
data related to their performance and the program’s overall functioning. Finally, I would
interview clients to evaluate any changes in their lives as a result of participating in the
Life House programs.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 3
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Life House Simulation: Program Evaluation Preliminary Meeting
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
This response indicates poor understanding of the evaluation process.
Furthermore, the information obtained would in no way accurately indicate the
effectiveness or efficiency of the programs provided by the Life House agency.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 3 Again.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
This response indicates a credible understanding of the evaluation process and
instills confidence in the Executive Director.
o Click Here to Try This Simulation Again.
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Grinnell, R. M., Jr., Gabor, P. A., & Unrau, Y. A. (2019). Program evaluation for social
workers: Foundations of evidence-based programs (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
•
Chapter 2, “Approaches and Types of Evaluations” (pp. 23–38)
•
Chapter 3, “The Evaluation Process” (pp. 39–51)
Submit a 3- to 5-page reflection on your simulation experience. The paper must address the
following:
Process
•
Provide a brief overview of the six steps in the evaluation process.
•
Why is it important to consider these steps for Life House and its programs?
Program
•
What program would you select from the Life House: Program Evaluation Preliminary
Plan document based on your conversation with the executive director? Provide a brief
description of the program you selected.
•
Based on your knowledge of the Life House agency, including your recent conversation
with the executive director, how would you describe the target population for your
program?
Evaluation
•
Based on your knowledge of the Life House agency and information from the readings,
would you initially recommend a formative or summative evaluation approach? Explain
your answer.
•
Which of the following types of evaluation would you initially plan for your program?
(Explain your selections using formative and summative evaluation.)
o
Needs Assessment
o
Process Evaluation
o
Outcome Evaluation
o
Efficiency Evaluation
Life House: Background for Evaluation
Scope of Work
Needs Assessment
Life House plans to:
• Reevaluate changes to the community, since the inception of the programs under
review.
• Evaluate whether programs meet current or changing needs.
• Evaluate changes or modifications to the current service structure.
Process Evaluation
Life House plans to evaluate:
• Agency efficiency
• Operational administration
• Delivery of services
Outcome Evaluation
Life House plans to evaluate:
• Effectiveness of programs as they relate to participants
• Changes to client quality of life and functioning
The Life House Community
Life House serves the greater Grand Junction area, which includes a range of small city
to rural area concerns. The area once served a substantial workforce related to nearby
mining industries and other livestock and agriculture.
With the decline in the mining industry, many jobs for non-college educated workers
began to disappear, and the economy suffered. The agricultural economy shifted to
wine production too, which brought with it an influx of tourism, an increase in service
sector jobs, and transplants with hi-tech industry jobs that allowed for remote work.
Economic stressors, stemming from gradually widening job losses, created an increase
in a need for family services, including domestic and intimate partner violence services.
Likewise, the community experienced a significant increase in problems due to substance abuse.
Demographics