The Certificate in Evaluation Practice (CEP) offers participants a breadth of understanding of the knowledge and skills that are frequently needed for evaluations.

The CEP is intended for evaluators who are seeking a course of study that exposes them to the fundamentals of evaluation practice.

This certificate is designed:

  • for evaluation professionals who do not have substantive formal training in evaluation
  • for those who wish to brush up on recent developments
  • for those who are seeking a systematic understanding of evaluation practice
  • for individuals who are approaching evaluation practice as a new endeavor

This Certificate also serves as the first prerequisite for the Master Evaluator Certificate.

CEP Requirements: The CEP is awarded after the completion of 30 days of instruction from a prescribed set of courses. 15 days are to be selected from a group of required courses, and the remaining 15 days are selected from among two groups of elective courses (Design & Analysis and Evaluation Practice & Inquiry).


Required Courses

Evaluation Foundations

15 days of instruction in Evaluation Foundations courses:

  • Applied Measurement for Evaluation (3 days)
  • Basics of Program Evaluation OR Basics of Program Evaluation: Culturally Responsive and Strengths-Focused Applications (3 days)
  • Ethics in Practice: A Global Perspective (International perspective) (1 day)
  • Evaluation Foundations (1 day)
  • Evaluation Research Methods: A Survey of Quantitative & Qualitative Approaches (3 days)
  • Evaluating Training Programs and MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning) Initiatives (3 days) OR Evaluating Training Programs (2 days)
  • Informing Practice Using Evaluation Models and Theories (3 days)
  • Managing for Success: Planning, Implementation, and Reporting (2 days)
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: Frameworks and Fundamentals (2 days)
  • Professional Standards and Principles for Ethical Evaluation Practice (1 day)
  • Working with Evaluation Stakeholders OR Working with Diverse Stakeholders: Appreciative, Strengths-based, and Culturally Responsive Approaches (2 days)

Electives

Design & Analysis

9 days of instruction selected from the following topic areas:

Design

  • Blue Marble Evaluation (2 days)
  • Case Studies in Evaluation (2 days)
  • Creating and Implementing Successful Evaluation Surveys (3 days)
  • Developmental Evaluation: Systems and Complexity (2 days)
  • Evaluation Design: Alignment with Evaluation Objectives (2 days)
  • Policy Design and Evaluation Across Cultures (2 days)
  • Principles-Focused Evaluation (2 days)
  • Sampling: Basic Methods for Probability and Non-Probability Samples (1 day)
  • Systems-based Culturally Responsive Evaluation (3 days)
  • Using Non-Experimental Designs for Impact Evaluation (2 days)
  • Using Research, Program Theory and Logic Models to Design and Evaluate Programs (2 days) OR Using Program Theory and Logic Models in Evaluation (2 days)
  • Utilization-Focused Evaluation (1 day)

Analysis

  • Applied Regression Analysis (3 days)
  • Applied Statistics for Evaluation (4-5 days)
  • Comparative Effectiveness: Balancing Design with Quality Evidence (1 day)
  • Introduction to Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (2 days or 3 days)
  • Introduction to Data Analysis for Evaluators and Applied Researchers (2 days)
  • Introduction to Machine Learning for Evaluators (2 days)
  • Introduction to R Programming or Data Analysis and Visualization
  • Implementation Analysis for Feedback on Program Progress and Results (2 days)
  • Linking Evaluation Questions to Analysis Techniques (3 days)
  • Making Evaluation Data Actionable (2 days)
  • Mixed-Method Evaluations: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (2 days or 3 days)
  • Needs Assessment (2 days)
  • Outcome and Impact Evaluation  (3 days)
  • Practical Meta-Analysis (2 days)
  • Quantitative Methods (2 days)
  • Qualitative Methods (2 days)
  • Qualitative Data Analysis (2 days)
  • Intermediate Qualitative Data Analysis (2 days)
  • Social and Organizational Network Analysis (2 days)

Evaluation Practice & Inquiry

6 days of instruction selected from the following topic areas:

  • Applying an Equity Lens to Visualizing and Communicating Data (1 day)
  • Culture, Equity, and Evaluation (2 days)
  • Dashboard Design: Creating Static Dashboards Using Excel (1 day)
  • Designing, Managing & Analyzing Multi-site Evaluations (2 days)
  • Effective Reporting Strategies for Evaluators (1 day)
  • Evaluability Assessment (2 days)
  • Evaluation Capacity Building in Organizations (1 day)
  • Evaluation Management
  • Evaluating Resource Allocation in Complex Environments
  • Foundations in Data Visualization (1 day)
  • How to Build a Successful Evaluation Consulting Practice (1 day)
  • How to Enhance the Learning Function of Evaluation: Principles and Strategies (2 days)
  • Internal Evaluation: Building Organizations from Within
  • Introduction to Chat GPT4 for Evaluation and Evaluation Capacity Building (2 days)
  • Introduction to Data Visualization (2 days)
  • Introduction to Visualizing Data with a Racial Equity Lens (2 days)
  • Learning through Data Visualization
  • Leveraging Technology in Evaluation (1 day)
  • Measuring Performance and Managing for Results in Government and Nonprofit Organizations (2 days)
  • Participatory Evaluation: Frameworks, Approaches, Appropriateness and Challenges (2 days)
  • Policy Analysis, Implementation and Evaluation (2 days)
  • Policy Evaluation and Analysis (2 days)
  • Practical Strategies for Improving Collaborative Approaches to Evaluation (2 days)
  • Presenting Data Effectively (2 days)
  • Strategy Mapping (2 days)
  • Strategic Planning with Evaluation in Mind (2 or 3 days)
  • Utilizing Culturally Responsive and Racially Equitable Evaluation (3 days)
  • Using Program Evaluation in Nonprofit Environments (1 day)
Contact Us

The Evaluators’ Institute

tei@cgu.edu