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Overview of RAs RA 1: Human Service Needs Assessment Report Over the past two decades, the terms "accountability" and "program evaluation" have become the focus within the human services arena. Due to budgetary constraints and decrease in availability of public funding, the competition for scarce resources has increased. This increased competition has subjected human services agencies to an intense examination where requests for resources are scrutinized carefully. The first step to conducting a program evaluation is to conduct a needs assessment to determine and justify the reason for carrying out the evaluation of a particular program. A need can be defined as the gap between what is and what should be and can be experienced by an individual, a group, or an entire community. Tasks: Using at least 3–5 scholarly resources from the professional literature, research human service needs assessment. The literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).

Create a 7- to 9-page report in a Microsoft Word document, including the following:

Identify a program at a social agency or other human services program to which you have access and provide a description of the organizational context including the mission and objectives of the program and why an evaluation is being considered.

Conduct a needs assessment using concepts presented previously to confirm and explain the scope of the problem, the perceived versus actual gap in service, the affected population, whether the need is changing, and in what manner the need may be changing.

Identify possible resources to meet the perceived needs. Discuss what existing resources can be used, what additional information would be needed, and what sources for obtaining data you would use.

Identify the stakeholders who need to be included in the assessment and subsequent evaluation.

Analyze the interpersonal, political, and ethical considerations of interacting with decision makers and stakeholders who may have conflicting priorities and determine strategies for reconciling those priorities.

Submission Details:

Save your report as M3_A2_Lastname_Firstname.doc. Include a title and reference page and apply APA standards to the citation of sources, including use of in-text citations and full references.

By Module 3, Day 7, post your report to the M3 Assignment 2 RA 1 Dropbox.

RA 1 is worth 200 points and will be graded according to the following rubric.

Page 2 of 7 Program Evaluation

Overview of RAs

Assignment Components Proficiency Score

Identify a program at a social agency

or other human services program to

which you have access and provide

a description of the organizational

context including the mission and

objectives of the program and why

an evaluation is being considered.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

The program (at a social agency or other

human services program) identified is

appropriate for the assignment. Discussion

includes a detailed description of the

organizational context that includes the

mission and objectives of the program. The

justification for the evaluation is clear,

logical, and supported by evidence.

Reliable resources are utilized.

/36 pts.

Conduct a Needs Assessment using

concepts presented previously to

confirm and explain the scope of the

problem, the perceived vs. actual

gap in service, the affected

population, whether the need is

changing and in what manner the

need may be changing.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

A clear and thorough explanation of a

Needs Assessment using concepts

presented from the course is present. It

logically explains the scope of the

problems from many angles. The Needs

Assessment also explains many details

regarding the perceived vs. actual gap in

service, the affected population and

whether the need is changing and in what

manner the need may be changing. Many

relevant examples are given. The text and

scholarly resources are utilized in support.

/52 pts.

Identify possible resources to meet

the needs. Discuss what existing

resources can be used, what

additional information would be

needed, and what sources for

obtaining data you would use.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

Many useful resources are identified to

meet the needs of the current program. A

clear and comprehensive discussion of

what existing resources can be used and

what additional information would be

needed is given. A thorough discussion of

what sources one would use to obtain the

data is also given. The text and scholarly

resources are utilized in support.

/36 pts.

Identify the stakeholders that need to

be included in the assessment and

subsequent evaluation.

CO: 2

PO: 8

A complete and detailed list of the

stakeholders that need to be included in

the assessment and subsequent

evaluation is identified.

/20 pts.

Analyze the interpersonal, political,

and ethical considerations of

interacting with decision makers and

stakeholders who may have

conflicting priorities and determine

An intuitive analysis of the interpersonal,

political, and ethical considerations

regarding interactions with decision

makers and stakeholders who may have

conflicting priorities is given. Many

/36 pts.

Page 3 of 7 Program Evaluation

Overview of RAs

strategies for reconciling those

priorities.

CO: 3

PO: 4, 6, 8

examples are provided. Many effective and

unique strategies for reconciling those

priorities are given. The text and scholarly

resources are utilized in support.

Write in a clear, concise, and

organized manner; demonstrate

ethical scholarship in accurate

representation and attribution of

sources (i.e. APA); and display

accurate spelling, grammar, and

punctuation.

Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized

manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship

in accurate representation and attribution

of sources; and displayed accurate

spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

/20 pts.

Total /200 pts.

Page 4 of 7 Program Evaluation

Overview of RAs

RA 2: Program Evaluation Plan Program evaluation is an essential practice in human services organizations that provides a systematic and scientific approach for decision-making and program intervention. This process ensures that agencies perform effectively by being outcome-oriented and accountable. Since human services are often made up of many elements with complex relationships and dynamics, an evaluator needs to engage in collaborative reflection with key stakeholders, be grounded in people's experiences, and use data to ask good questions. For this assignment, build upon the needs assessment conducted in M3 Assignment 2 RA 1 and design a program evaluation plan using appropriate evaluation frameworks discussed in the earlier modules. Tasks:

Using at least 3–5 scholarly resources from the professional literature, research program evaluation. The literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov). Create a 10- to 12-page evaluation plan, including the following:

Program’s Context: Identify the setting (including mission and objectives of the program), target population, and environmental influences within which the program operates.

Purpose of Evaluation: State the purpose of your evaluation. Having a clear purpose prevents hasty decisions in how an evaluation should be conducted. It could be for introducing a new approach to practice, to change an existing one, or to evaluate the effect of existing program activities.

Expected Effects: Describe the desired outcomes (short- and long-term ones) for the program to be successful.

Stakeholders: Identify all the stakeholders who would need to be engaged in the evaluation.

Design of Framework: Choose an evaluation framework that will influence what type of resources will be used as evidence, how that evidence will be gathered and analyzed, and what kind of claims can be made.

Resources (What Is the Required Data?): Determine criteria for effectiveness of the program and the data that would need to be collected to meet the selected criteria.

Selection of Methods (How Can We Get It?): Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different data-gathering techniques and information analysis approaches to ensure quality in the evidence gathered.

Findings (What Does the Data Mean?): Highlight important evaluation findings, including effective strategies to interpret, and present results and recommendations for the program to the stakeholders.

Dissemination of the Findings: Select appropriate communication strategies and develop a communication plan using appropriate media and technology to inform the stakeholders.

Plan for Follow Up for Ongoing Improvement (What Are We Going to Do Now?): Determine how the results will be implemented and monitored.

Page 5 of 7 Program Evaluation

Overview of RAs

Submission Details:

Write your plan in a Microsoft Word document and save it as M5_A2_Lastname_Firstname.doc. Include a title and a reference page and apply APA standards to the citation of sources, including use of in-text citations and full references.

By Module 5, Day 3, upload your document to the M5 Assignment 2 RA 2 Dropbox.

RA 2 is worth 300 points and will be graded according to the following rubric.

Assignment Components Proficiency Score

Identify the Setting (including mission and

objectives of the program), Target

Population, and Environmental Influences

within which the program operates.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

A clear and detailed identification of the

Setting, Target Population, and

Environmental Influences within which

the program operates is provided. It

includes a clear description of the

program’s mission and objectives. Many

relevant examples and facts are given.

Reliable resources are utilized in

support.

/20 pts.

State the purpose of your evaluation.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

A clear and logical purpose of the

evaluation is stated. It is also very useful

for the assignment.

/20 pts.

Describe the desired outcomes (short and

long term) for the program to be

successful.

CO: 1

PO: 3, 6, 8

The description of the desired outcomes

(short and long term) for the program to

be successful is clear, logical and

comprehensive. Scholarly resources are

utilized in support.

/32 pts.

Identify all the stakeholders that would

need to be engaged in the evaluation.

CO: 2, 3

PO: 4, 6, 8

A complete and logical list of all

stakeholders that need to be engaged in

the evaluation is identified. Scholarly

resources are utilized in support.

/20 pts.

Choose an evaluation framework that will

influence what type of resources will be

used as evidence, how that evidence will

be gathered and analyzed, and what kind

of claims can be made.

CO: 4

Choice of evaluation framework is

appropriate and suited to the context.

Rationale discusses the type of

resources to be used as evidence and

how that evidence will be gathered and

analyzed to meet desired outcomes. The

text and scholarly resources are utilized

/32 pts.

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Overview of RAs

PO: 3, 6, 8 in support of the decision.

Determine criteria for effectiveness of the

program and the data that would need to

be collected to meet the selected criteria.

CO: 4

PO: 3, 6, 8

The criteria determined for effectiveness

of the program is correct and

comprehensive.

An accurate and full listing of the data

that one would need to be collected in

order to meet the selected criteria is also

determined. The text and scholarly

resources are utilized in support.

/36 pts.

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of

different data-gathering techniques and

information analysis approaches to ensure

quality in the evidence gathered.

CO: 4

PO: 3, 6, 8

A logical and thorough evaluation of

strengths and weaknesses of the

different data-gathering techniques and

information analysis approaches is

given. Selection of methods is

appropriate to the type of data to be

gathered for the purpose of evaluation.

The text and scholarly resources are

utilized in support.

/36 pts.

Highlight important evaluation findings

including effective strategies to interpret

and present the results and

recommendations for the program to the

stakeholders.

CO: 5

PO: 3, 4, 6, 8

Several important and insightful

evaluation findings are highlighted.

Findings include details regarding

effective strategies used to interpret and

present the results. A clear list of the

results and recommendations for the

program is provided.

/28 pts.

Select appropriate communication

strategies and develop a communication

plan using appropriate media and

technology to inform the stakeholders.

CO: 5

PO: 3, 4, 6, 8

Selection of appropriate communication

strategies is logical and suited to the

purpose and context. A detailed and

effective communication plan is provided

using appropriate technology and media

elements appropriate for the audience.

Examples are provided to strengthen

ideas. The text and scholarly resources

are utilized in support.

/40 pts.

Determine how the results will be

implemented and monitored.

CO: 5

PO: 3, 4, 6, 8

A systematic plan is provided on how the

results will be implemented including

persons responsible for the different

phases. The plan also includes logistical

details on how and when to monitor the

results. Resources required for the

ongoing monitoring are listed in detail.

Scholarly resources are utilized in

/20 pts.

Page 7 of 7 Program Evaluation

Overview of RAs

support.

Write in a clear, concise, and organized

manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship

in accurate representation and attribution

of sources (i.e. APA); and display

accurate spelling, grammar, and

punctuation.

Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized

manner; demonstrated ethical

scholarship in accurate representation

and attribution of sources; and displayed

accurate spelling, grammar, and

punctuation.

/16 pts.

Total /300 pts.