This course provides students with advanced knowledge and skills to carry out evaluations of social work programs and services. Building on the contents covered in SLWK 609 or equivalent, the course helps students to design and execute an independent research project. Major topics include types of evaluation, evaluation theory and design, and research proposal development that can be employed to improve the quality and delivery of social work policy, programs and services. Special attention is given to the student’s quest to understand and apply statistical analyses to questions of interest. The course will also address social and economic justice, value and ethical concerns involving human participants, and issues related to diverse populations at risk that arise in evaluation research.
