Greetings, everyone, and welcome to SOCW 3126 Social Work Research Design and Management. The best way to reach us is through the e-mail addresses provided or by sending messages via the online class system. If you wish to speak with any of us via phone or WhatsApp, please send an e-mail (mokumu@ucu.ac.ug & cedrick.wabwire2@gmail.com), and we will arrange a time to talk. As a general rule, e-mails received Monday through Friday (not including holidays) will be returned within 48 hours. E-mails received Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays will be returned by the next business day. If you need technical assistance, please contact the UCU e-learning Help Desk at elearning@ucu.ac.ug or call via mobile at 0795 770 530.
COURSE DOMAIN AND BOUNDARIES
This
course builds on the content covered in Research Methods for Social Work
Practice and provides students with the skills to design and manage program evaluation research. Major topics
include types of evaluation, evaluation design and theory, measurement,
sampling, data collection, ethics, and politics in evaluation, data analysis. Attention is given to the capacity-building
potential of evaluation and its impact on the quality and delivery of social
welfare services to populations-at-risk.
The ability to involve agency and client constituencies in developing,
implementing, and disseminating evaluation efforts is emphasized. Special attention is also given to values,
ethics, social and economic justice, and issues related to ethnicity, culture,
gender, religion, physical or mental disability or illness, age, and national
origin. Students complete an evaluation project in conjunction with an organization
of their choice – preferably their field work site. Students are expected to design and execute
all aspects of the evaluation; identify and critique the empirical evidence
related to the evaluation; and prepare and report project findings and
implications.