LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

SPRING 2004

Program, Planning, and Evaluation

ORGB-C365-051

INSTRUCTOR:Phil Frady, MSW. (PhilFr@aol.com)


Office:Stallings 107
Criminal Justice Dept. Phone:865-3696

College of Social Sciences Phone:865-3530

Course Meeting Times:06:20-09:00PM

Course Meeting Dates:Wednesdays - Jan 14, 21, 28; Feb 4,11,18; Mar 3,

10, 17, 24, 31; Apr 14, 21, 28; May 5 & 12

Course Meeting Location:Marquette 406

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Evaluation research is an applied type of research that became popular as a result ofpublic policies requiring accountability for resources allocated to the criminal justice system as well as other programs in social services and education. This type of research utilizes the same data collection and analysis techniques employed in basic scientific research. It differs however, because researchers are given sets of goals or objectives before the research begins. In evaluation research, the investigator designs a study to determine whether or not the goals of the program or policy are being met and whether or not changes are necessary. The technique is basically fact finding, asking the question: Is the program achieving its desired results or outcomes? The results or outcomes may exceed, meet or fall short of the stated goals of the program. A more precise definition of evaluation research may be stated in the following manner:

Evaluation is essentially an effort to determine what changes occur as a result of a planned program by comparing actual changes(results) with desired changes (stated goals) and by identifying the degree to which the activity (planned program) is responsible for the changes.

Numerous examples of evaluation research can be found in the criminal justice literature:

1.The evaluation of the effects of changes in police procedure such as greater use of foot patrols upon crime or fear of crime.

2.The evaluation of neighborhood crime prevention programs such as Neighborhood Watch or other residential collectivities.

3.The evaluation of correctional treatment programs on recidivism.

4.The evaluation of harsher laws and sentencing guidelines on the reduction of crime among violent offender cohorts.

This course deals with the application of basic research methods to the evaluation of social and criminal justice programs and agencies-corrections, delinquency, the police, courts, public policy, and the criminal justice system in general. Included in the course will be an examination of evaluation along with specific techniques necessary to conduct evaluation research. Goals and the utilization of evaluation results will be explored.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course the student should:

1.Be familiar with the major components of program planning and evaluation research.

2.Know how to conceptualize, collect data, analyze data and present core findings of a program evaluation.

3.Know how to design an evaluation.

4.Know how to define an evaluation problem.

5.Know how to analyze information.

6.Know how to manage an evaluation.
 
 

REQUIRED READINGS:

Additional readings will be made available throughout the course.Selected readings will posted as links to a web page for this course; the links are listed below:

 

Additional documents for your required reading can be found at:

 
http://www.loyno.edu/criminaljustice/bcj/Frady_04S/

 
 

Evaluation folder:

·Evaluation Design and Tools

·Evaluation Design for the Hypothetical Project

·Outline of a Complete Business Plan

·Survey tutorial

·Guidelines for Conducting Focus Groups

·Citizen Survey (NEW - 04/08/04)
 
 

Planning folder:

·Planning in its Larger Context - Working Backwards Through Any "System" 

·Action Planning

·Cornerstones for Solid Program Planning

·Developing a Mission Statement

·Example Of SWOT Analysis

·Planning in its Larger Context

·Planning Models

·Stratecic Planning Models

·Strategic Thinking

·The Goals Grid

·The Pitfalls of Planning

·What are the key concepts and definitions in strategic planning

·What Is An Annotated Bibliography

·What is Strategic Planning

·Concept of Leadership

·Leadership - Self-Assessment

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

(1)midterm and final exams (20%);

(2)completed evaluation report and class presentation(60%);

(3)annotated bibliography (20%)

Evaluation Report

The climax of the course will be the completion of an evaluation of a program, policy or special technique or practice in a public or private organization or business. Components of the criminal justice system are the most obvious areas of focus. You may however find other areas such as private security entities. Likewise you may you may elect to evaluate a program which been implemented by either the public or private justice or social service organization. An example would be the evaluation of a community crime prevention program targeting a particular neighborhood. There are also many other programs dealing with juvenile diversion, truancy abatement, drug prevention, gun awareness and control, etc. that could be used.
Early in the term you will be asked to select a topic for your evaluation and to do a literature review on the topic. The review should entail a survey and brief summary of recent similar endeavors.
The following is a format for the formation and implementation of your project.

1.Define the goals of the program or institution under study.

2.What is the goal of the evaluation?

3.What criteria are used to assess goal achievement?

4.What evaluation model is employed?

5.How is data collected and analyzed?

6.Did your evaluation contribute to the learning process for the program stakeholders?

The evaluation should be 10 to 15 pages in length excluding the bibliography. APA style citations should be followed.

Annotated Bibliography

Select one of the following possible topics/issues dealing with evaluation in criminal justice and develop an annotated bibliography with 10 citations.
Possible Topics(other topics are possible, but discuss with me first)
·Effectiveness of street level drug enforcement

·Alternative police patrol tactics in public perceptions of safety

·The effectiveness of "zero tolerance" stances in law enforcement

·Evaluating the "best practices' model in juvenile corrections, drug prevention/treatment

·Juvenile curfews and crime control

·Evaluating "three strikes and your" out sentencing policies

·The use of police mini stations in citizen crime prevention efforts

·Higher education and police performance

·The use of GIS mapping techniques and patrol deployment

·Decentralization of police functions and crime control

·Privatization of correctional facilities and cost savings to the public

·Get tough policies on juveniles in light of perceived increase in violence

·Public school security measures since :school shooting crime wave"

·Zero based budgeting applied to law enforcement spending
 


GRADING SCALE


 
A=95-100
C+ = 80-84
B+ = 90-94
C=75-79
B=85-89
C+ = 80-84
C=75-79
D =69 - 74
F+Below 68

CLASSROOM CONDUCT

Class attendance is required; the roster will be read at the beginning of each class.  Excessive absence will result in grade loss.  Class begins promptly at the scheduled start time.

College of Social Sciences STATEMENT ON  INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

Intellectual honesty is simply acknowledging, through documentation, all those sources that the writer has used in preparing any written work. Plagiarism, the obverse of intellectual honesty, is the use of any form of material, whether written or verbal, without formal indebtedness through documentation. The paraphrasing of any work, either written by other students or found in print or in electronic form, without acknowledgment, is plagiarism. Not properly identifying the source of a quotation, even though the quotation is enclosed in quotation marks, is also plagiarism. Not only the exact language of a sentence or phrase, but any material falsely presented as one's own idea, a concept, data, graphs, or a line of argument??constitutes plagiarism. Any material that neither originates with the student nor is common knowledge among educated persons must be formally acknowledged.

It must be remembered that written work stands on its own, not on the intention of the writer. The burden of academic honesty rests on the student, not on the instructor. If students have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism or what is required, they should inquire before the work is submitted. Otherwise, they open themselves to charges of plagiarism.

The penalties for plagiarism are severe: a student who is found to have plagiarized or to have assisted another student in plagiarizing may be given a failing grade for the course on the first violation; a second offense may result in exclusion or dismissal from the university.

(Adapted from Standards of Writing Pamphlet of College of Social Sciences, 1971. For the complete details on standards, penalties, and appeals procedure, see "Integrity of Scholarship and Grades," in the Undergraduate Bulletin.)

POLICY ON  INCOMPLETE GRADES

Grades of I (incomplete) change to F automatically if the course is not completed and the grade changed by the sixth week of the subsequent semester, excluding summer terms. The resulting F grade remains as the permanent grade for the course.

Note: the grade of Incomplete will not be registered merely because a student did not complete all of the course requirements.  If a grade of Incomplete is to be recorded, the student and instructor must have previously agreed to the circumstances of this grade, otherwise the delinquent assignments will be counted as a zero and impact the final grade accordingly.