Week 2 due 9/9 The introduction is one of the most important parts of writing as

Posted: September 9th, 2023

Week 2 due 9/9
The introduction is one of the most important parts of writing as it establishes the problem you’re focusing on and introducing the reader to some of the key themes they can expect to encounter in the rest of your writing. You will want to make a compelling case for your work to draw the reader in, while striking the right professional tone.
Required Elements for Program Evaluation
1. Introduction of the Program for Evaluation – What program is being evaluated? Provide the basic information about this program. You’ll get into much more detail later, but for now, orient the reader to the program itself.
2. Evaluation Purpose – What is the purpose of this evaluation? Why is it being conducted? Remember from MPA602, there are four main reasons for program evaluation. Inform the reader the purpose of this evaluation.
3. Program Purpose – Why does this program exist? What problem in the world does it work to overcome?
4. Clients – Who does this program serve? Who are the recipients of service?
5. Parent Organization – What organization administers this program? Provide an overview of the organization. Describe the funding mechanism of this program.
Week 3 due 9/15
This week, you will work on your Policy Overview and Background. This is one of the most important sections of the capstone paper, so you will want to be thorough and clear. The more attention you pay to finding, reading and assessing sources, the more legitimacy your work will have.
Required Elements for Program Evaluation
1. Detailed Problem Description – Where in the introduction, you gave a more concise summary of the problem, here you will get into more detail. Why does this program exist? What problem is it trying to solve? If you have facts and figures, you will present them here. Pay extra attention to the systems in which the problem is situated. The elements of a detailed problem description are:
a. History of the problem
b. Impacts of the problem
i. Who is impacted?
ii. How are they impacted?
iii. Are there costs associated with this problem?
c. Causes or Contributing Factors
2. Broader Literature Review – What does the literature say about this problem nationally or internationally? What does the field or science of public administration or other relevant disciplines know about this problem? You should bring in professional and academic sources. You will want to introduce theory from both the MPA literature and from the subject matter literature.
3. Program Logic Model – Describe the logic model or the program’s strategy. How are the program’s activities supposed to impact the problem it is trying to solve? Provide the following information, but be sure to give a coherent narrative explanation of how these items contribute to the solving of the problem. There could be several goals, objectives and actions. Keeping them straight may require some diagrams or spreadsheets.
a. Goals – What things will be different if the program is successful?
b. Objectives – What will the program accomplish to achieve those goals?
c. Intervention or Actions – What things does the program do to achieve its objectives?
d. Target Population – Who or what is the subject of the interventions or actions?