One of the major challenges faced by community-based AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) in evaluating their programs is choosing a research design that is feasible and will produce results that are reliable and valid. However, guidance from a technical expert may save time and increase the reliability and validity of the evaluation results (Plantz, 1997). The UCLA School of Public Health Technical Assistance Group (TAG) has worked with three AIDS service organizations (ASOs) in Santa Barbara County for several years and is currently evaluating the impact of their outreach HIV prevention education programs. As part of this collaborative effort, TAG is also assessing the evaluation processes and capacity of the three ASOs.
Key informant interviews with program personnel at each agency before and during project implementation provides a description of each organization’s capacity for designing and implementing evaluations. In the interviews, personnel responsible for program planning and development at three agencies described evaluation activities, factors affecting evaluation processes, and challenges for evaluating outreach programs in community based organizations. Analysis of these results helps to determine 1) if the agency’s capacity to develop and implement outcome evaluations has increased and 2) if any organizational or individual staff characteristics may predict or facilitate the agency’s ability to build evaluation capacity through this process.
Understanding the processes and challenges to evaluations in community based organizations can help researchers identify ways to help ASOs develop and implement valid and appropriate evaluations.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. Describe challenges common to ASOs in evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention programs; 2. List factors that influence an ASO's evaluation capacity; and 3. Identify ways that research institutions can collaborate with ASOs to design feasible outcomes-based evaluation models
Keywords: Evaluation, Outreach Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Planned Parenthood of Santa Barbara County
Pacific Pride Foundation
Project Recovery
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.