Evaluation Capacity Development

This subject is not offered in 2014.

120 hours. Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs/online classes) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject builds on the growing trend of organizations asking evaluators to provide evaluation capacity development. In these cases, evaluators engage with stakeholders to help the stakeholders develop their abilities to design and conduct evaluation efforts within an organization. Topics to be addressed will include: ensuring professional and ethical evaluation standards; enhancing participation; building stakeholder knowledge and capacity; understanding the role of the evaluator in evaluation capacity building; mainstreaming evaluation in organizations; and evaluation capacity development as a pathway to organizational change.

On completion of this subject it is expected that students should be able to:

• understand how to design and manage an evaluation process that a) responds to the needs of various stakeholder groups, b) prioritises the voice of disadvantaged groups and c) leads to positive outcomes with respect to capacity development and program improvement;
• appreciate some of the ethical dilemmas and contextual challenges faced by evaluators and how to respond to them;
• critically consider and implement options for evaluating an evaluation capacity building effort
• articulate the interpersonal and communication skills required by the evaluator to facilitate stakeholder interactions effectively; and
• reflect critically on the role of the evaluator as the facilitator of social change.

• Online participation (discussion forum and/or activities) equivalent to 1500 words throughout semester, 30%
• Online test equivalent to 1500 words, due mid-semester 30%
• Written task of 2000 words, due end of semester 40%

Hurdle: Peer review of other students’ work Mid-term n/a

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.