Spring 2026 SOWK 531 Class 06 Weekly Email
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Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn
Week six is asynchronous. Students will read about evaluation in macro practice. There are forums for students to connect with content from the course, explore literature about program evaluation, and consider their community impact project and assessment. Some of the learning objectives this week include:
- Recognize the context of program evaluation.
- Identify problems and barriers in program evaluation.
- Examine real-world examples of data collection and evaluation processes.
Unit Assignments
Content
- Read Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2018) Chapter 10: Evaluation in Macro Practice
W-06 A-01: Asynchronous Participation and Engagement
The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and provide meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are six forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 6 replies across any of the forums and read all of your peers’ replies. These forums include the following:
- Community Impact Project Assessment Ideas invites students to share how they are thinking about assigning for their community impact project.
- A hospital-based discharge planning scenario serves as the basis for Program Evaluation Case Study, where students work through selecting evaluation goals, designs, and data collection methods.
- Students respond to a range of textbook questions on program evaluation concepts and barriers in Questions from Chapter 10 Content.
- Drawing on their practicum placements, students share real-world data collection practices and agency reporting processes in Examples of Data Collection in Practicum Settings.
- Published Program Evaluations asks students to find and share examples of published program evaluations.
- Students explore the ethical challenges and practical difficulties social workers face when conducting program evaluation in Managing Dilemmas in Evaluation.
I extended the due date for A-03a Community Impact Project Proposal by one week, so it will now be due Monday 3/9 at 8 AM.
Unit Resources
I’m not going to do a lecture video this week.
You can listen to a podcast episode for this week’s reading Chapter 10: Evaluating Macro Practice, or see the entire series Podcast Series.
Reference
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H. (2018). Generalist practice with organizations and communities (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
To-Do Lists
- Read chapter 10
- At least six replies across any of the forums
