The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute
Background: Public health practitioners, including injury and violence prevention (IVP) professionals, are responsible for implementing evaluations, but often lack formal evaluation training. Impacts of many practitioner-focused evaluation trainings—particularly their ability to help participants s...
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| Language: | English |
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The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/659 |
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| author | Jamila M. Porter Laura K. Brennan Mighty Fine Ina I. Robinson |
| author_facet | Jamila M. Porter Laura K. Brennan Mighty Fine Ina I. Robinson |
| author_sort | Jamila M. Porter |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Background: Public health practitioners, including injury and violence prevention (IVP) professionals, are responsible for implementing evaluations, but often lack formal evaluation training. Impacts of many practitioner-focused evaluation trainings—particularly their ability to help participants successfully start and complete evaluations—are unknown.
Objectives: We assessed the impact of the Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute (“Evaluation Institute”), a team-based, multidisciplinary, and practitioner-focused evaluation training designed to teach state IVP practitioners and their cross-sector partners how to evaluate program and policy interventions.
Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of 13 evaluation teams across eight states at least one year after training participation (24 participants in total). Document reviews were conducted to triangulate, supplement, and contextualize reported improvements to policies, programs, and practices.
Intervention: Teams of practitioners applied for and participated in the Evaluation Institute, a five-month evaluation training initiative that included a set of online training modules, an in-person workshop, and technical support from evaluation consultants.
Main Outcome Measure(s): The successful start and/or completion of a program or policy evaluation focused on an IVP intervention.
Results: Of the 13 teams studied, a total of 12 teams (92%) reported starting or completing an evaluation. Four teams (31%) reported fully completing their evaluations; eight teams (61%) reported partially completing their evaluations. Teams identified common facilitators and barriers that impacted their ability to start and complete their evaluations. Nearly half of the 13 teams (46%) – whether or not they completed their evaluation – reported at least one common improvement made to a program or policy as a result of engaging in an evaluative process.
Conclusion: Practitioner-focused evaluation trainings are essential to build critical evaluation skills among public health professionals and their multidisciplinary partners. The process of evaluating an intervention—even if the evaluation is not completed—has substantial value and can drive improvements to public health interventions. The Evaluation Institute can serve as a model for training public health practitioners and their partners to successfully plan, start, complete, and utilize evaluations to improve programs and policies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d580480a73c94dc0aa33e0763afee5b8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1556-8180 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation |
| spelling | doaj-art-d580480a73c94dc0aa33e0763afee5b82025-08-20T02:08:12ZengThe Evaluation Center at Western Michigan UniversityJournal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation1556-81802020-12-01163710.56645/jmde.v16i37.659The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation InstituteJamila M. Porter0Laura K. Brennan1Mighty Fine2Ina I. Robinson3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7388-5773Safe States Alliance Transtria LLCAmerican Public Health Association Safe States Alliance Background: Public health practitioners, including injury and violence prevention (IVP) professionals, are responsible for implementing evaluations, but often lack formal evaluation training. Impacts of many practitioner-focused evaluation trainings—particularly their ability to help participants successfully start and complete evaluations—are unknown. Objectives: We assessed the impact of the Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute (“Evaluation Institute”), a team-based, multidisciplinary, and practitioner-focused evaluation training designed to teach state IVP practitioners and their cross-sector partners how to evaluate program and policy interventions. Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of 13 evaluation teams across eight states at least one year after training participation (24 participants in total). Document reviews were conducted to triangulate, supplement, and contextualize reported improvements to policies, programs, and practices. Intervention: Teams of practitioners applied for and participated in the Evaluation Institute, a five-month evaluation training initiative that included a set of online training modules, an in-person workshop, and technical support from evaluation consultants. Main Outcome Measure(s): The successful start and/or completion of a program or policy evaluation focused on an IVP intervention. Results: Of the 13 teams studied, a total of 12 teams (92%) reported starting or completing an evaluation. Four teams (31%) reported fully completing their evaluations; eight teams (61%) reported partially completing their evaluations. Teams identified common facilitators and barriers that impacted their ability to start and complete their evaluations. Nearly half of the 13 teams (46%) – whether or not they completed their evaluation – reported at least one common improvement made to a program or policy as a result of engaging in an evaluative process. Conclusion: Practitioner-focused evaluation trainings are essential to build critical evaluation skills among public health professionals and their multidisciplinary partners. The process of evaluating an intervention—even if the evaluation is not completed—has substantial value and can drive improvements to public health interventions. The Evaluation Institute can serve as a model for training public health practitioners and their partners to successfully plan, start, complete, and utilize evaluations to improve programs and policies. https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/659evaluationinjurymultidisciplinary partnershipspractitioner-focused evaluation trainingprofessional developmentprogram and policy evaluation |
| spellingShingle | Jamila M. Porter Laura K. Brennan Mighty Fine Ina I. Robinson The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation evaluation injury multidisciplinary partnerships practitioner-focused evaluation training professional development program and policy evaluation |
| title | The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute |
| title_full | The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute |
| title_fullStr | The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute |
| title_short | The Elements to Enhance the Successful Start and Completion of Program and Policy Evaluations: The Injury & Violence Prevention (IVP) Program & Policy Evaluation Institute |
| title_sort | elements to enhance the successful start and completion of program and policy evaluations the injury violence prevention ivp program policy evaluation institute |
| topic | evaluation injury multidisciplinary partnerships practitioner-focused evaluation training professional development program and policy evaluation |
| url | https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/659 |
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