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Starting with the Big Picture
Starting with the Big Picture
Once you have a grasp of your program components and overall theory of change, it is important to begin with the big picture before engaging in your evaluation. Asking questions such as the following may help you to narrow the focus before developing more specific research questions:
- What do you want to learn?
- What areas of focus will most likely improve student outcomes?
- What data point(s) do you want to move?
Using your background knowledge about your program as a guide, engaging with your stakeholders about these questions will help to highlight your areas of focus and generate some initial hypotheses. During this phase, it is useful to bring in any historical data about your program and relevant prior research on concurrent enrollment. Below are some resources that may help you identify the areas you want your evaluation to highlight.
Starting Point Evaluation Focus Areas - Customizable Resource.docxYou likely have some working hypotheses for improvement directing where you want to focus your resources. To help begin the work, the SERVE Center has developed the document with potential areas for focusing your evaluation. The topics (such as student readiness, instructor availability, and student persistence) come from previous evaluations of dual/concurrent enrollment programs and can be downloaded and modified to meet your program's needs.
Resources for Deciding What You Want to Know
Resources for Deciding What You Want to Know
5_Whys_Worksheet.pdfA "5 whys" process can help focus the content of your evaluation by determining root causes of problems you would like your program to address. This resource describes the process and provides a template that can be used to conduct a simple root cause analysis.
SWOT Analysis Template.xlsxA SWOT analysis can help identify strengths and weaknesses relative to internal and external program factors. This resource provides an example and a template for an analysis that can help you determine the focus of your evaluation.
Premortem Protocol.pdfA "pre-mortem" process in education engages a team in understanding critical areas for program success by thinking about potential areas for failure. This resource describes the reasoning behind a pre-mortem process and steps for how to conduct the process.
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