NCJ Number
79364
Date Published
1981
Length
160 pages
Annotation
This manual presents course materials for use by participants in a criminal justice evaluation course sponsored by LEAA and taught at the Criminal Justice Training and Technical Assistance Resource Centers located at five universities.
Abstract
The course consists of eight modules, seven of which are accompanied by workshops. The first module defines project evaluation, identifies the role of evaluation in the project planning and development cycle, shows how evaluation relates to the general planning process model, and explains the basic structure of the evaluation planning process. In the workshop accompanying this module, participants do a written exercise and take part in small group discussions in order to describe one jurisdiction's evaluation practices relative to those in other jurisdictions or agencies and to identify similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses in various evaluation approaches. Other modules and accompanying workshops focus on determining the logic of a project; determining evaluation types, designs, and threats to validity; descriptive and comparative designs for monitoring projects; descriptive and comparative designs in process evaluation; and the use of comparative designs in the assessment of a project's impact. Further modules cover the collection, analysis, and interpretation of evaluation data and the steps involved in preparing an evaluation plan and in keeping the plan current and realistic. A content outline of each lecture and instructions and handouts for each workshop are also provided. For the instructor's guide, see NCJ 79363. For related courses on criminal justice planning and decisionmaking, see NCJ 79347-61 and 79365-67.