Course Syllabus

• Instructor Name: Ashlyn Aiko Nelson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs (pronouns: she/her/hers); see detailed syllabus linked in Canvas Modules for contact information
  
• Teaching Assistant: Not assigned currently

• This class is online and taught asynchronously
• Student hours (via Zoom):
  • TBD following completion of WhenIsGood poll in Week 1
  • Please email me or the TA if you are not able to meet during the established Zoom student hours, so we can set up an alternative time to meet.

Bulletin Description

Examination of how the programs of public agencies are proposed, established, operated, and evaluated. Discussion of the role and conduct of research in the program evaluation process. In addition, techniques of effective evaluation and analysis are discussed.

Additional Description

This master’s level course provides students with a working knowledge of applied policy analysis methods for public program evaluation. This course prepares students to be fluent in the basic application of program evaluation tools, and to be informed consumers of program evaluation research.

Broadly, policy analysis can be grouped into two categories: ex ante analysis, used to analyze policy problems generally and provide recommendations prior to implementation, and ex post analysis, used to evaluate the effectiveness of policies after implementation. This course focuses on ex post analysis and complements topics covered in other courses on ex ante analysis, such as forecasting, return on investment/net present value analysis, cost-benefit analysis, decision analysis, risk assessment, impact assessment, and political feasibility analysis.

This course provides a basic background in approaches to program evaluation, and discusses both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods for program evaluation. The bulk of the course will focus on a variety of empirical approaches to program evaluation, and on causal inference methods in particular. Students will receive training in a variety of experimental and quasi-experimental research methods used by researchers and policy analysts to assess impacts of public and nonprofit programs. The course will discuss how to address analytical issues that may arise, including sampling issues and selection bias. The course also will cover common topics that arise in program evaluation, including issues with the policy process (such as a lack of program implementation fidelity, or a misalignment between the policy process and the measured outcomes) and issues with the policy outcomes (such as the emergence of unintended consequences, or challenges accessing data on the measured outcomes).

In program evaluation, the presentation of the analysis can be as important as the analysis itself. For a policy analysis to have an impact, it must be articulated and presented clearly and reflect due regard for its intended audience. In many ways, the medium is the message in policy analysis, so this course is in some ways a “boot camp” in policy writing. We will discuss the appropriate structure, tone, style, and presentation of policy analyses and program evaluation proposals.