Program Evaluation Project

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN

CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

COURSE SYLLABUS

CJ 63322 | Spring 2021

Course Information

Course Number 6322

Course Title Program Evaluation

Course CRN 13615

Semester Term Spring, 2021

Days & Times Online

Professor Contact Information

Professor Clete Snell

Office Phone 713-226-5271

Other Phone 713-221-8943

Email Address [email protected]

Office Location C340

Office Hours By appointment only

Course Pre-requisites and/or Other Restrictions

Graduate Standing or department approval

Course Description

Explores the techniques used to evaluate criminal justice programs. Focuses on quantitative and qualitative methods and analyses to assess the effectiveness of a program’s processes and outcomes related to design, implementation, and impact.

Required Textbooks and Materials

All required reading material is provided in the Blackboard course shell.

Relevant Departmental Learning Objectives

LO 1: Identify, describe, and communicate current issues in criminal justice.

Student Learning Objectives for This Course

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1) Identify the purpose of program evaluations.

2) Compare and contrast the purposes of the different types of program evaluations.

3) Analyze the program evaluations in policing, court programs, and prisoner recidivism programs for their effectiveness.

4) Create a proposal to evaluate a program.

Course Syllabus Page 1

Course Assessments

Weekly Assignments

Each week you will be required to locate, analyze, and summarize an academic source related to each week’s topic. You will present this summary on the discussion board. Be sure to read and comment on at least two other student posts. These weekly assignments are worth 10 points each toward your final grade.

Exams

There will be two examinations during the course of the semester. Each exam is worth 50 points toward your final grade. The exams will consist of five essay questions from the readings and video presentations. Check the calendar at the end of the syllabus for the exam dates. The final exam is not comprehensive.

Program Evaluation Project

Choose among one of the following scenarios:

1) You’ve been asked to create a body camera program in your police department.

2) You have been hired as a program director of a new mental health court.

3) You have been hired to direct a prison treatment program.

You are seeking funding for your program from a federal grant and have decided to co-write the grant application with an evaluator from a local university. The grant application asks you to:

1) describe the program;

2) list the goals and objectives of the program;

3) describe the type(s) of evaluation(s) that will be conducted;

4) describe how the goals and objectives of the program will be measured;

5) describe your data sources and analysis plan;

6) and describe how you will report the results of your evaluation to the granting agency and your stakeholders.

Your proposal should be six to eight pages in length, double-spaced, 12-point type, Times New Roman or Arial font, one-inch margins on all sides, and left justified.

· Each paper needs a cover page with the title, your name, the course number and title, and semester and year of submission.

· Any sources used must be cited properly in the bod of the proposal and in a reference list using American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines.

· Spelling and grammar should be checked carefully.

Grading Policy

Your grade will be based on the following:

Component Points

Weekly Assignments (10 points X 10) 100

Mid-Term Exam 50

Final Exam 50

Program Evaluation Project 100

Total 300

Your grade will be calculated using the following scale:

Grade Percentage Range

A 270-300

B 240-269

C 210-239

D 180-209

F Below 180

Course Policies

Extra Credit

Extra credit is not expressly part of the course or else it would be part of the points associated with assigned course components. If extra credit is to be available, it will be at the discretion of the instructor for a special circumstance and the entire class will have an equal opportunity to gain the points. No individual student or group of students will receive extra credit.

Late Work

If a student intends to turn in any assignment late, the instructor must be contacted in advance stating that the submission will be late. Grades will be reduced in value each day they are late. With the exception of a documented medical emergency, no excuse will be accepted for late work.

Academic Dishonesty

Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:

A. Unauthorized collaboration: working in collaboration with another student or other people in completing an exam.

B. Falsification: altering or fabricating any information or citation in an academic exercise or activity.

C. Plagiarism: representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgment. This includes using materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in the sale of term papers or other academic materials.

Incomplete Grades

An “incomplete” grade, by university policy, is not a commonly-assigned grade and may only be given when (1) there is a minimal amount of work remaining (for example one quiz or assignment), (2) you have notified me of the problem prior to the deadline for the work and (3) the reason is classified by me (the course instructor) as unavoidable. As the course instructor, I do not have authority to give an incomplete grade and must forward a form with the reason for the incomplete and the work required to make up the missed assignment/quiz/exam. This form must receive the approval of the CJ Department Chair and the CPS Dean in order for an incomplete grade to be issued. If approval is not given, you will be graded on the existing work in the course with zeros assigned for missing work. If you anticipate missing work that does not meet the criteria above, please withdraw from the class prior to the withdrawal date (March 28).

University of Houston-Downtown Policies and Procedures

Statement of Reasonable Accommodations :

The University of Houston-Downtown complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for students with a disability. In accordance with Section 504 and ADA guidelines, UHD strives to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them. If you believe that you have a documented disability

requiring academic adjustments/auxiliary aids, please contact the Office of Disability Services, One Main St., Suite 409-South, Houston, TX 77002. (Office) 713-226-5227 (Website) www.uhd.edu/disability/ (Email) [email protected].

Course Syllabus Page 4

D A T E	T O P I C	C O U R S E W O R K	D U E T H I S W E E K
Week 1 Jan. 19-24	Introductions and Welcome to the Class	-Read course syllabus -Watch course introduction -Introduce yourself in discussion board
Week 2 Jan. 25-31	Introduction to Program Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Jan. 31
Week 3 Feb. 1-7	Planning a Program Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Feb. 7
Week 4 Feb. 8-14	Needs Assessment	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Feb. 14
Week 5 Feb. 15-21	Theory-Driven Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Feb. 21
Week 6 Feb. 22-28	Process Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Feb. 28
Week 7 Mar. 1-7	Outcome Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Mar. 7
Week 8 Mar. 8-14		MID-TERM EXAM	Posted all day on March 8-14
Mar. 15-21	SPRING BREAK
Week 9 Mar. 22-28	Cost-Efficiency Evaluation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Mar. 28
Week 10 Mar. 29-Apr. 4	Measurement and Data Analysis	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Apr. 4
Week 11 Apr. 5-11	Reporting and Using Evaluations	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Apr. 11
Week 12 Apr. 12-18	Evaluations in Policing	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Apr. 18
Week 13 Apr. 19-25	Evaluations in Court Programs	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight Apr. 25
Week 14 Apr. 26-May 2	Evaluations in Prison Rehabilitation	-Watch presentation -Read posted materials -Post assignment to the discussion board	Assignment due midnight May 2
Week 15 May 8-13	Final Exam & Program Evaluation Proposal	-FINAL EXAM posted May 8-13 -Program Evaluation Proposal	Final exam posted May 8-13 Program Evaluation Proposal due May 8

Course Syllabus Page 5