Program Planning and Evaluation
Planning cycle
Know the standard program cycle: assessment → planning → implementation → evaluation. Familiarize yourself with needs assessment methods (surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, secondary data) and the importance of involving the community in planning. A common trap is skipping assessment and jumping to a pre-packaged intervention.
Frameworks and objectives
Recognize logic models (inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes) and the difference between process evaluation (was the program delivered as intended?) and outcome evaluation (did it change knowledge, behavior, or health?). Know SMART objectives: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. A trap is labeling an output (number of classes held) as an outcome (improved blood pressure).
Evaluation designs
Understand formative (improve during development) versus summative (judge results) evaluation, and basic quantitative versus qualitative methods. Know that sustainability and community ownership are planning goals, not afterthoughts.
Worked example
A program reports "we held 12 classes with 200 attendees." That is a process/output measure. "Participants' average A1c dropped" is an outcome measure. Questions often ask you to classify a metric - check whether it describes delivery or change.
Traps to watch
Confusing outputs with outcomes; using SMART objectives without a time frame; evaluating only at the end without formative feedback.