Course Syllabus

 

SPEA V379

Performance Measurement & Program Evaluation

FALL 2026

The following two course sections are co-listed on Canvas:

Section 5256 - Meets from 9:35 - 10:50 am on TuTh in PV A335

Section 23851 - Meets from 11:10 – 12:25 am on TuTh in PV 278

 

 Instructor  & Contact Information

Course Instructor:         Mindy Hightower King, Ph.D.

Contact Information:    minking@iu.edu; please contact me directly through this email account rather than through Canvas, especially if you would like a response within 24 hours. When you email me, please state, in the subject line of the email, what your message is concerning.

Office Hours:  Office hours are always available by appointment. If you’d like to meet, please email me, or see me before or after class, and we'll set a time. At several points during the semester (e.g., before exams or large assignments are due), I will schedule additional office hours at which time, students can drop-in.

 Course Description

This course is taught from a non-profit and public management perspective. Its purpose is to help students understand the importance of evaluation and measurement, how different approaches to evaluation and performance measurement are applied, and how to implement the various steps of the evaluation process. Students will learn concepts and practices related to process and outcome evaluation, the development and implementation of performance measurement systems, and how to visualize and present data. An introduction to the design of measurement instruments (e.g., surveys) will also be included. Students will learn a variety of approaches to evaluation and performance measurement, and they will have opportunities to apply these skills to different programs and interventions.

 Course Goals & Learning Objectives

Please note that both the goals and objectives of this course are student-centered rather than course-centered. This means they are specified in terms of what I want you, the student, to know, understand, or do after completing this course. Course goals reflect the larger ideas of what I want students to know and understand throughout the course. These goals are aligned with the larger goals of the O’Neil School and the competencies required for specific degrees. You’ll notice that each learning objective is connected to a course goal and reflects what I expect students to be able to do as a result of taking the course. Each learning objective is observable, measurable, and targets one specific aspect of student performance. At the end of the semester, my hope is that students can review these goals and objectives and connect them to specific course content and assignments, as well as the skillsets they gained.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will…

  • Understand the difference between and the relevance of formative and summative evaluation.
    1. Students will be able to write process and outcome evaluation questions relevant to a specific program.
    2. Students will be able to identify data collection strategies that can be used to answer these questions.
    3. Students will be able to distinguish between outputs and outcomes that can be measured to evaluate a program.
  • Understand how to use performance measurement to assess program implementation and results.
    1. Students will be able to write performance measures relevant to different frameworks.
    2. Students will be able to distinguish between process and outcome performance measures.
    3. Students will be able to identify key similarities and differences between program evaluation and performance measurement.
  • Design and disseminate a survey to gather reliable and valid data.
    1. Students will be able to write basic survey questions to measure attitudes, behavior, and knowledge.
    2. Students will be able to determine appropriate survey administration strategies to reduce survey error.
    3. Students will be able to differentiate between nominal, ordinal, and interval/ratio survey data.
  • Become familiar with principles of visual processing theory and learn to apply data visualization skills.
    1. Students will be able to identify appropriate charts to display different types of data trends.
    2. Students will be able to construct pivot tables to analyze data collected through a survey.
    3. Students will be able to construct charts to display the simple data trends and the relationship between two or more variables.
    4. Students will be able apply principles of data visualization when editing charts in order to more effectively communicate data trends.

 Required Text & Additional Readings

Rossi, P.H., Lipsey, M.W. & Freeman, H.E. Evaluation: A Systematic Approach (Eighth Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, available through eText. 

Your copy of the text is available in your Canvas class page.  In the menu at the left of the screen, click on “Unizin Engage (IU eTexts)” to open the Engage reading platform.  In the top right corner of Engage, click on your icon.  Click on the Help link.  Click on “Students” to access quick overviews of how to navigate the platform and all the general studying/learning features – reading, note-taking, highlighting, questioning, printing, bookmarking, searching, and collaborating. Please familiarize yourself with the Engage platform before the first day of class. Engage works best when viewed online, in Firefox or Chrome.

NOTE: Additional readings will also be posted in the weekly modules on Canvas.