Political Evaluation

1. Understand the concept of political evaluation and its various processes.
2. Conduct independent evaluation of political actors, programs, institutions, and regimes.
3. Communicate research reports and recommendations effectively.
4. Apply basic statistical methods to evaluate policies, programs, and actors.
5. Understand and apply survey research methods in political evaluation.
6. Critically analyze and interpret political evaluation research findings.

13 weeks, about 26 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1Module 1: Introduction to Political Evaluation

   • Unit 1: Political Evaluation and its Uses · 2 hours

     Define political evaluation and its uses.. Discuss the importance of evaluating human behavior in relation to government.. Explain political evaluation as a decision-making tool..

2. Week 2Module 1: Introduction to Political Evaluation

   • Unit 2: Political Evaluation Research · 2 hours

     Discuss political evaluation as a scientific activity.. Understand research as a central element of political evaluation.. Explain the nature of political evaluation research..

3. Week 3Module 1: Introduction to Political Evaluation

   • Unit 3: Political Evaluation Research Strategies · 2 hours

     Explain the two main strategies of social research used in political evaluation.. Identify the meaning and uses of qualitative and quantitative research strategies.. Describe the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research strategies..

4. Week 4Module 1: Introduction to Political Evaluation

   • Unit 4: Types of Evaluation Research · 2 hours

     Identify two broad types of political evaluation research.. Explain formative evaluation and summative evaluation.. State the various uses of the two broad types of evaluation research..

5. Week 5Module 1: Introduction to Political Evaluation

   • Unit 5: Statistics and Political Evaluation · 2 hours

     State the meaning and uses of statistics in political evaluation.. Identify different types of statistics and appreciate their application in political evaluation research.. Discuss the use of statistics for generalization, estimation, conclusion drawing, and prediction..

6. Week 6Module 2: Measurement

   • Unit 1: The Concept of Measurement · 2 hours

     Explain the concept of measurement and its importance in political evaluation research.. State the idea of operational definition and indicators.. Explain why it is necessary to measure in political evaluation..

7. Week 7Module 2: Measurement

   • Unit 2: Levels of Measurement · 2 hours

     Explore and grasp key concepts that describe the basics of measurement.. Discuss the various levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio levels of measurement..

8. Week 8Module 2: Measurement

   • Unit 3: Scales of Measurement · 2 hours

     Explain the idea of scaling.. Discuss measurement scales, especially the Likert Scale..

9. Week 9Module 2: Measurement

   • Unit 4: Reliability and Validity in Quantitative Research · 2 hours

     Evaluate the reliability of measurement instruments and techniques in quantitative research.. Examine the validity of measurement instruments and techniques.. Acquire the ability to select measurement strategies that maximize validity and reliability in quantitative research..

10. Week 10Module 2: Measurement

    • Unit 5: Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research · 2 hours

      Discuss how the concepts of reliability and validity are applied to qualitative research.. Evaluate the relevance of these concepts to qualitative research.. Acquire the ability to maximize validity and reliability in qualitative research..

11. Week 11Module 3: The Survey Process

    • Unit 1: The Survey · 2 hours

      Discuss the survey as an important research method.. Discuss reasons for conducting survey research, the survey process, and the limits of survey research.. Explain the advantages and limits of the application of survey research..

12. Week 12Module 3: The Survey Process

    • Unit 2: The Survey Instrument: Questionnaire · 2 hours

      Explain the questionnaire as a major instrument used in survey research.. List the various elements of the question, construct a survey questionnaire.. Master the techniques of asking and organizing the questions in your questionnaire.. Discuss issues associated with the administration of the questionnaire..

13. Week 13Module 3: The Survey Process

    • Unit 3: Data and Data Gathering Techniques · 2 hours

      Explain the concept of data in political evaluation research.. List and discuss various techniques of data collection, document analysis, and the field method of gathering data..