Program Planning And Evaluation Terms

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Induction

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A reasoning process moving from lower to higher levels of abstraction; going from the particular to the general

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Deduction

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A reasoning process that moves from a more abstract meaning to meanings that are subsumed by it; going from the general to the particular

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Positivism

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A perspective generally understood to be the same as the logical positivist or logical empiricist, in which theoretical propositions are tested or built according to rules of formal logic to create scientific knowledge

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Postpositivism

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Within the tradition of positivism, a perspective that recognizes the value-laden and interactive nature of the research process, so that direct correspondence or direct, objective knowledge of forms are eliminated. Through generalizability remains the goal, more subjective approaches using qualitative methods are recognized as possibly acceptable ways of scientific knowing.

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Prescriptive approaches

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Traditional approaches to program planning using linear logic and based on the assumptions of rational planning, which attempt to solve problems using logic or problem solving models in planning

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Problem(s)

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A judgment that something needs to change; also known as problem identification

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Problem Analysis

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Use of needs assessment data to help determine what must change for a problem-solving outcome to be achieved

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Problem-solving

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A process in which one engages in trying to find a solution (or solutions) to a problem. Depending on the situation, problem=solving can occur in both rational and interpretive planning, but how one goes about the process will look different.

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Rational thought

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Linear reasoning or logic based on if/then statements; based on moving forward with purpose toward a pre-identified goal based on the assumptions that one can know the problem if one analyzes it well enough; that one can solve a problem if a clear direction of how to proceed can be identified; and that there are logical ways in which to move through this problem solving process.

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Nonrational thought

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Speaks of a logic that is not linear, but instead tends to be circular and able to consider the most tangential aspects of a thought process. Nonrational reasoning is reasoning by metaphor and analogy rather than by if/then statements.

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Irrational thought

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Mental processes that do not include reasoning and/or identifiable logic.

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Logical empericism

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A philosophical perspective that establishes verifiability as grounds for judging whether a question or issue has meaning. Emperical observation and measurement is the basis of this approach's measure of good scientific investigation.

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Logical positivism

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Built on the same assumptions of logical empiricism that all knowledge must be based on observable things and events.

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Natural science

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An approach to describing things by reducing all formal and final cause explanations to material and efficient cause explanations, based on the assumption that natural forces work toward a purpose, and the cause can be identified using natural scientific methods.

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Human agency

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A belief that humans engage in certain inferential processes (induction) and act independently on that basis.

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Reductionism

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A mechanism, based on positivist assumptions about reality and how one comes to know it, that aims to reduce complexity to the most definable and controllable elements.

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Objective or objectivist perspective

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Belief that social reality has concrete existence above and beyond the individual and that relity can be understood by all under the right circumstances.

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Realism (Realist)

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The philosophical view that the context of one's mind, that which one knows, exists independently of one's mind; understanding of anything that is abstracted from an independent reality.

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Determinism (determinist)

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Refers to limitations placed on events or behaviors and framed in terms of antecedents and consequences. The type of determinism is dependent on the type of cause that is of interest. With efficient cause, the assumption is that everything is entirely determined by a sequence of causes.

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Nomothetic

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An approach to description of behavior and things based on what is generally the case. This approach relies on law like generalizations that describe everything exactly the same way for all time. Individual differences are minimized and commonalities are emphasized.

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Etic

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Providing an outsider's view or perspective.

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Generalization

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The ability of a truth to hold across time and circumstance.

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Emic

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Providing an insider's view or perspective.

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Subjective or subjectivist perspective

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Assumes that social reality exists primarily in the human consciousness (a product of one's mind). Meanings are private and cannot be extended beyond the individual who has framed the meaning, making generalizability impossible.

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Subjectivity

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Refers to constructs with meanings that are somehow private and, therefore, incapable of being extended beyond the individual who framed the meaningful relationship intended. Subjective meanings cannot be totally understood, even when one sincerely examines the contents at issue because social reality exists primarily in the individual's consciousness or mind.

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Emergent approaches

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Alternative approaches to program planning using emergent logic, which attempts to remove barriers to innovation through intense interactions, networking, and information exchange among those with a stake in change, based on the assumption that they should be empowered to create and re-create as new discoveries occur using nonlinear, unpredictable strategies. Program planning using these approaches, based on assumptions of interpretive planning, consist of several predictable dimensions, the specific content of which cannot be known in advance: engagement, discovery, sense-making, and unfolding.

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Emergent logic

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Nonlinear, circular, or holistic patterns of thought using induction over deduction whereby engagement with others leads to a process in which discovery occurs and a tentative understanding or sense-making regarding a problem evolves.

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Ontology (ontological)

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Perspective on the nature of reality; what is real. Asks the question, Is it above and beyond individual knowledge or is it based on individual consciousness without regard to the outside world?

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Epistemology (epistemological)

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Assumptions related to what can be known and how scientists can be expected to come to know it.

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Interpretivism

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A perspective informed by the desire to understand the world as it is at the level of subjective experience, within the realm of individual consciousness and subjectivity. The perspective sees the social world as an emergent social process that is created by the individuals concerned. Reality, then, is little more than a network of assumptions and intersubjectively shared meanings that hold only as long as meaning is shared.

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Interpretive planning

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Context-embedded planning that emerges in response to the particulars of the situation, the understandings and inclinations of the stakeholders to the process, and the resources at hand.

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Historicity

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What is known about the deep context of a situation and how it is developed.

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Satisficing

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Decision-making within boundaries; using available knowledge. Recognizing that everything cannot be known about a situation, and moving ahead with a decision based on what is known and what is possible.

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Hierarchy (hierarchical)

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Thoughts, persons, or things arranged in a graded order, as in a descending order of power.

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Collaboration (collaborative)

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More than one person, group, or organization working in tandem to solve a problem or seek an opportunity.

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Hermeneutic process

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In the sense of Gadamer, a circular conversation among and between interested parties (including texts and other data sources) wherein perspectives and insights are shared tested, and evaluated.

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Conditions

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Identification of what is; a factual description.

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Problem solving model

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Similar to the logic model for program planning and geared at addressing needs or conditions. This model includes problem/need identification; establishing the goal; writing objectives; and identifying inputs, methods, results, and outcomes. Note: This is a rational planning approach, unlike the more generic concept of a problem-solving process.

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Learning organization

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An organization committed to learning from experiences and using the results of those experiences in decision-making, even if doing so changes what was originally expected or designed.

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Scenario planning

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Planning through play metaphors where a script or story of change is developed.

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Strategic planning

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Rational, goal-oriented guidance for a course of planned change, typically within an organization or community setting.

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ethnographic approach

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A qualitative research design first developed in sociology based on the assumption that the context of the phenomenon under investigation shapes the reality of the phenomenon. Qualitative methods such as interviews and observations are used to understand the phenomenon within a particular situation.

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discovery

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A dimension of emergent planning, and part of the planning process achieved through ongoing participation, and consisting of utilizing multiple data sources and valid and complex data.

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engagement

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The first dimension of emergent planning. Engagement comprises the entry part of planning and consists of an ongoing process connecting with multiple perspectives, developing mutual respect through relationship building, and resulting in understanding the conflicts and complexities of the context in which planning is occurring.

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nonrational planning

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Planning designs not based on linear models of logic. Usually based on induction rather than deduction, taking a more holistic, rather than reductionist approach to what should be learned and decided in the planning process; also understood to be interpretive planning or an emergent approach to planning.

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science of muddling through

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Growing out of an assertion that, at least in public institutions, a myth existed that decision-making was a linear, sequential process; instead, decisions are made in a halting incremental way with periods of recycling, iteration, and reformulation. The process is a nonlinear one and highly political.

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sense-making

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A dimension of emergent planning that focuses on what is discovered in the planning process. Consists of compromise, consensus-based decision-making, and valid and complex decisions with hallmarks of contextual responsiveness.

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sense-making theory

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Demonstrates how stimuli are placed into some kind of framework to explain surprises, seek information, make connections, ascribe meaning, and suggest action; includes rules of perceiving, interpreting, believing, and acting, all based on an understanding or meaning construction.

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situational ethics

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Achieving good and avoiding evil, or at least gaining more good for assuring the balance of good over evil. There is no absolute standard for decision-making; everything is relative to the specific context.

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social constructivist theory (constructivism)

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Assumes that reality is constructed based in intersubjectively achieved meaning that cannot generalize beyond the time and context of the encounter; that there are no fundamental causes, but instead networks of relationships that produce multiple and simultaneous shaping in the construction of reality. Focus is on cognitive schemas that construct the subject's experience and action and lead to new interpretive frameworks or structures.

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social learning theory

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Assumes that what is known or assumed to be real is a product of the context within which learning occurs rather than in reaction to some immutable truth.

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socialization

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Inducting new members into a culture,, its expectations, and behavioral norms.

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unfolding

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A dimension of the emergent planning model, the planning product, that occurs in the context of the problem-solving process. Consists of assessment and identification of program options and possibilities; continual learning; and continuous attention to complexity, which results in continuous revisioning of the planned program as the planning process continues to reverberate as the program continues to unfold.

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forward-sequence planning

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An interpretive type of planning that begins by asking where one can start rather than what one wants as a final result. Forward-sequence planning is the opposite of reverse-order planning of the rational type in which one works toward a predetermined goal.

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emergent approaches

Back 55

Alternative approaches to program planning using emergent logic, which attempts to remove barriers to innovation through intense interactions, networking, and information exchange among those with a stake in change, based on the assumption that they should be empowered to create and re-create as new discoveries occur using nonlinear, unpredictable strategies. Program planning using these approaches, based on assumptions of interpretive planning, consists of several predictable dimensions, the specific content of which cannot be known in advance: engagement, discovery, sense-making, and unfolding.

Front 56

emergent logic

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nonlinear, circular, or holistic patterns of thought using induction over deduction whereby engagement with others leads to a process in which discovery occurs and a tentative understanding or sense-making regarding a problem evolves.

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interpretive planning

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Context-embedded planning that emerges in response to particulars of the situation, the understandings and inclinations of the stakeholders to the process, and the resources at hand.

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interpretivism

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A perspective informed by the desire to understand the world as it is at the level of subjective experience, within the realm of individual consciousness and subjectivity. The perspective sees the social world as an emergent social process that is created by the individuals concerned. Reality, then, is little more than a network of assumptions and intersubjectively shared meanings that hold only as long as meaning is shared.

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information

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Data about which some meaning can be given.

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information system

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Systematic mechanism for data collection so that data can be translated through analysis into information that can be useful.

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units of service

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Services that can be delivered and measured as episodes or contact units, as material units, or as time units.

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action planning

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Design that serves as a guide for decision-making about detailed tasks in a plan; also known as program design.

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evidence-based practice

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[EBP] Practice guided by research results or measurable outcomes.

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program hypothesis

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Series of if/then statements that articulate what must be undertaken to achieve change.

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program theory

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Integrated statement of framework describing what is to be undertaken programmatically, from which can be drawn the design, specifications, activities, observable measures, and measurable outcomes, as well as aid in determining whether program success is possible.

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typology

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A group of related categories or "types". Belonging to a class considered to possess properties or characteristic of that class.

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truth

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A fact or reality related to actual existence and capable of being verified. In traditional science, truth must also be established to exist across time and context.

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transactive planning theories

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Approaches that guide maintenance of as much face-to-face mutual learning as possible, as a means of achieving fundamental change.

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throughput

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The service delivery or how the intervention target's condition is intended to change; includes service definitions and tasks (activities) and the method of intervention (the technology employed and the ways services are delivered).

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interpretive planning

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Context-embedded planning that emerges in response to the particulars of the situation, the understandings and inclinations of the stakeholders to the process, and the resources at hand.

Front 71

emergent approaches

Back 71

Alternative approaches to program planning using emergent logic, which attempts to remove barriers to innovation through intense interactions, networking, and information exchange among those with a stake in change, based on the assumption they should be empowered to create and re-create as new discoveries occur using nonlinear, unpredictable strategies. Program planning using these approaches, based on assumptions of interpretive planning, consists of several predictable dimensions, the specific content of which cannot be known in advance: engagement, discovery, sense-making, and unfolding.

Front 72

forward-sequence planning

Back 72

An interpretive type of planning that begins by asking where one can start rather than what one wants as a final result. Forward-sequence planning is the opposite of reverse-order planning of the rational type in which one works toward a predetermined goal.

Front 73

unfolding

Back 73

A dimension of the emergent planning model, the planning product, that occurs in the context of the problem-solving process. Consists of assessment and identification of program options and possibilities; continual learning; and continuous attention to complexity, which results in continuous revisioning of the planned program as the planning process continues to reverberate as the program continues to unfold.

Front 74

social constructivist theory (constructivism)

Back 74

Assumes that reality is constructed based on intersubjectively achieved meaning that cannot generalize beyond the time and context of the encounter; that there are no fundamental causes, but instead networks of relationships that produce multiple and simultaneous shaping in the construction of reality. Focus is on cognitive schemas that construct the subject's experience and action and lead to new interpretive frameworks or structures.

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social learning theory

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Assumes that what is known or assumed to be real is a product of the context within which learning occurs rather than in reaction to some immutable truth.

Front 76

socialization

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Inducting new members into a culture, its expectations, and behavioral norms.

Front 77

sense-making

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A dimension of emergent planning that focuses on what is discovered in the planning process. Consists of compromise, consensus-based decision-making, and valid and complex decisions with hallmarks of contextual responsiveness.

Front 78

sense-making theory

Back 78

Demonstrates how stimuli are placed into some kind of framework to explain surprises, seek information, make connections, ascribe meaning, and suggest action; includes rules of perceiving, interpreting, believing, and acting, all based on an understanding or meaning construction.

Front 79

science of muddling through

Back 79

Growing out of an assertion that, at least in public institutions, a myth existed that decision-making was linear, sequential process; instead, decisions are made in a halting incremental way with periods of recycling, iteration, and reformulation. The process is a nonlinear one and highly political.

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Lady Boards of Managers

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All-female governing boards, whose members were founding, chartering, governing, administering, and managing beneficent organizations in the United States as early as the early 1800's and continuing through the turn of the twentieth century.

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nonrational planning

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Planning designs not based on linear models of logic. Usually based on induction rather than deduction, taking a more holistic, rather than reductionist approach to what should be learned and decided in the planning process; also understood to be interpretive planning or an emergent approach to planning.

Front 82

discovery

Back 82

A dimension of emergent planning, and part of the planning process achieved through ongoing participation and consisting of utilizing multiple data sources and valid and complex data.

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engagement

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The first dimension of emergent planning. Engagement comprises the entry part of planning and consists of an ongoing process connecting with multiple perspectives, developing mutual respect through relationship building, and resulting in understanding the conflicts and complexities of the context in which planning is occurring.

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ethnographic approach

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A qualitative research design first developed in sociology based on the assumption that the context of phenomenon under investigation shapes the reality of the phenomenon. Qualitative methods such as interviews and observations are used to understand the phenomenon within a particular situation.

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summative evaluation

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Evaluation designs informed by a problem-solving approach that sets out in advance details of implementation and expected results regarding the problem at hand. The degree to which the problem is solved is the focus of summative evaluation.

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formative evaluation

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Monitoring and documenting the process of program implementation, rather than attending to only the program result, outcome, or impact.

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constructivist research

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An interpretive, alternative model of emergent inquiry that attends as much to the inquiry process as the product produced. The research design is based on a hermeneutic process of consensus building and the iterative surfacing of issues, concerns, and concepts, which are documented and tracked and serve as the basis of a negotiated outcome, a case study report.

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heteronomous ethical systems

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A perspective that holds that moral rules are derived from sources outside of human beings, such as through divine origins.

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situational ethics

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Achieving good and avoiding evil, or at least gaining more good for assuring the balance of good over evil. There is no absolute standard for decision-making; everything is relative to the specific context.

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ethical egoist

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A person maximizes the good for himself or herself without regard to the consequences.

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ethical utilitarian

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Seeking the greatest good for the largest number, regardless of what happens to those left behind.

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autonomous ethics

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A perspective that holds that human beings can and should determine the moral rules.

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ethical absolutism

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In this text, refers to an approach whereby the planner learns to apply pre-established rules to situations, to deduce what to do, to assume that these principles are universal, and to order the principles so that any conflict of principles can be resolved. Also called the ethics of principles.

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ethical relativism

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Rejecting a system of fixed moral codes, believing that ethical decisions can only be justified based on the context of a decision or the consequences created as a result of the decision. Results, not motivations, are the focus.

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ethical conduct

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Carrying out one's role in a manner consistent with a set of principles, values, and moral assumptions.

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phronesis

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Practical wisdom in balancing the complexity of situations and maintaining consistent moral aims.

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ethical quandary or dilemma

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A situation in which two equally important principles or values are opposed to one another.

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ethics

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Principles of behavior based on beliefs or values, constitutive of personal and professional moral codes.

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information

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Data about which some meaning can be given.

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analyzing

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Using available data from various sources and an appropriate framework to fully examine, as far as time and resources allow, a situation.

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critical thinking

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A careful consideration of alternative views and claims and the willingness to alter one's perspective in light of evidence that refutes a cherished assumption or position.

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ethnographic approach

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A qualitative research design first developed in sociology based on the assumption that the context of the phenomenon under investigation shapes the reality of the phenomenon. Qualitative methods such as interviews and observations are used to understand the phenomenon within a particular situation.

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grand tour activities

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Informal qualitative research methods developed in anthropology and sociology whereby the researcher collects information in context through questioning and observing without a particular focus or plan in order to get a sense of the context prior to engaging in more formal data collection activities.

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Justification Evaluation

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An evaluation that seeks to answer the question: How have we achieved our goals?

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Needs Evaluation

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An evaluation that identifies needs [needs assessment]: community, social problems, gaps in services. This type of evaluation asks the question: Are there new projects/services/programs that should be developed?

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Change or Improvement Evaluation

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An evaluation that seeks to answer the question: What might be changed or improved?

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Survey design

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Surveys are designed to help you better understand a specific activity or interaction.

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Forced choice

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A survey design that requires the respondent to select answers from a prescribed list. For example: What is your primary role at the university? (Please choose one) a) student b) staff c)faculty d) other e) I prefer not to say

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Open- Ended

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A survey design where questions require respondents to answer in their own words. This can range from 1 to 2 word answers up to

paragrah and long essays.

Example:

How has the online class wait system affected you?

Example: Please list the 3 things that you think would make class wait lists easier for our customers:

1.

2.

3.

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Scaled-Responses

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A survey design that gives you an idea of the attitudes and beliefs of your respondents. Scaled surveys include a range of response options that measure agreement, importance, difficulty, frequency, likelihood or quality.

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Focus group

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Is a structured interview technique which asks specific questions of a small group. The audience may either be selected for their expertise in a particular area or randomly.

Focus groups can sometimes help you design surveys.

Focus groups are conducted interview style, with one facilitator and at least one note taker.

Good focus group and interview questions should be specific, address the evaluation

purposes and be asked the same way of all respondents. Recorded sessions along with notetaking is recommended.

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data

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factual information, especially information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions. They are pieces of specific information collected as part of an evaluation.

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data anlaysis

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is the process of applying systematic methods or statistical techniques to compare, describe, explain, or summarize data.

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evaluation plan

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provides the framework for conducting the evaluation.

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evaluator

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is an individual trained and experienced in designing and conducting evaluations.

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focus group

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is a small group discussion guided by a trained facilitator for gathering data on a designated topic.

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goals

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are measurable statements of the desired longer term, global impact of the program. Goals generally address change.

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key partners

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are organizations that are partners of your program through formal agreements or memorandums of understanding.

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needs assessment

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is the systematic effort to gather information from various sources that will help you identify the needs of victims in your community and the resources that are available to them. It will help you pinpoint reasons for gaps in your program's performance and identify new and future performance needs.

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objectives

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are specific, measurable statements of the desired immediate or direct outcomes of the program that support the accomplishment of a goal.

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performance measurement

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is the ongoing monitoring and reporting of a program's accomplishments and its progress toward pre-established goals.

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program evaluation

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is a systematic process of obtaining credible information to be used for program assessment and improvement

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qualitative data

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are a record of thoughts, observations, opinions, or words. They are difficult to measure, count, or express in numerical terms.

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quantitative data

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are numeric information or a rafting of an opinion on a scale, usually from 1 to 5. They can be counted, measured, compared, or expressed in numerical terms.

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research questions

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are questions developed by the evaluator to define the issues to be investigated and are worded so that they can be answered using research methods