Handbook

There is an increasing emphasis from the government on the need for policies and practice to be evaluated especially as related to human service, mental health and wellbeing, education, and social interventions. How do we know if what we are doing makes a difference? What do we need to consider, what tools can we use, and how can we embed evaluation so that it actually happens and leads to continuous service improvement. This topic equips students with an understanding of evaluation whether working with a single stakeholder, small group, community, or complex organisation. Students will develop capacity to identify key issues including efficacy, equity, efficiency, feasibility, sustainability, stakeholder impact, ethics, legality, acceptance, and adaptability. Students will grapple with how to select evaluation frameworks that align stakeholder needs, ensure measurable outcomes that are valid for the population and context, consider cost-benefit analyses and consider the interface between policy and evaluation through a lense of professional ethics. Students will conduct program and project evaluations and practice communicating evaluation outcomes to different audiences, even when the outcome might be unpopular.