Throughout this course, I have learned critical skills needed to evaluate programs. Through the utilization of discussion boards and a mock evaluation, I am confident in my ability to assess a program and see its impact on my community. I am also optimistic about understanding an evaluation and utilizing the recommendations within. This can be seen in my findings: https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cateportfolio/task-8-findings/. Starting with Task 0, I identified a program that addressed a problem within my community and gathered the necessary information to show why an evaluation would be important. This can be seen here: https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cateportfolio/task-0/.
The mock evaluation also showed me the importance of a literature review. This task has also benefitted other areas, such as grant writing. The annotated bibliography was an excellent opportunity to research similar programs effectively. I was also able to find several evaluations identical to the one I would be conducting, which allowed me to see that I was on the right track. The literature review also proved beneficial in completing other tasks, such as the mind map and research plan. I have provided the links to those tasks here:
- https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cateportfolio/task-3-annotated-bibliography/
- https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cateportfolio/task-4-mind-map/
- https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cateportfolio/task-5-research-plan/
This course was most definitely writing intensive. It was greatly appreciated because, with each task, I became more and more comfortable with the APA formatting, which has served me immensely in other courses. Due to this course, I would be comfortable approaching stakeholders in a program about an evaluation, conducting an evaluation, and interpreting the findings. Having gone through this experience, I plan to incorporate what I have learned in my current role in my local social services agency when working with programs we offer for foster care children.
