In HSSJ 3100W: Program Planning and Evaluation, students partner with organizations like YWCA, Rock Creek Conservancy, and Horton's Kids to conduct real-world program evaluations. While providing data and analysis to help organizations improve programs, students gain practical skills in data collection (surveys, interviews, etc.), data analysis, meaning-making and reporting.
Community-serving organizations who partner with this course identify the program they would like students to evaluate, for example, do volunteers of this organization feel prepared by the orientation and training they receive, or is their parent involvement program achieving its goals? Students and community organization staff work together to clarify the research question and identify sources of data. With final approval from community partners, students develop data collection tools (surveys, interview or focus group protocols, etc.) and ultimately produce a written report which includes a relevant review of research literature, study findings, and recommendations.
This course challenges students, and they love realizing what they are capable of. Dr. Walls and Dr. Kelso prepare students for each step: creating the agenda for their first community partner site visit, practicing interviewing and focus group skills in class, and doing in-class peer review of multiple drafts of the final reports and presentations shared with their community partners. Students also learn project management techniques.
For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc
Fall 2023
Professor: Erica Walls
Students Reporting: 11
Time Reported: 726.50 hours
Community Partners:
| CP | # of students at the site |
| Sasha Bruce Youthwork | 7 |
| Horton's Kids | 2 |
| 826DC | 3 |
| A Wider Circle | 4 |
| AnBryce Foundation | 2 |
| Little Friends for Peace (LFFP) | 1 |
| Rock Creek Conservancy | 3 |
Student Comments:
“Working alongside the AnBryce Foundation, I have served as a program evaluator. My role has been to examine the effectiveness, efficiency, and operation of a reporting dashboard used by the nonprofit via a process evaluation. The relationships have consisted of many meetings with the executive board of the nonprofit, research on performance dashboards, and an investigation into the effectiveness of the nonprofit's four direct service programs in Washington, DC. To work alongside the organization, I have made sure to be self-aware, understanding my potential weaknesses and strengths when investigating programs' effectiveness on minority students. I have enjoyed the evaluation thus far as we have gotten the opportunity to explore the organizations’ impact on underserved youth. The goal is to decrease the education gap in young, often minority, DC students. It has been reassuring to see that the organization's purposes are being met and the lives of children are being positively impacted.” - Student working with AnBryce Foundation
“I learnt how to evaluate programs on a more complex level. I collaborated with my team members and I also had the opportunity to work with an organization and the coordinators of many programs. Although it was stressful at times, my team and I worked together to create an effective evaluation.”
Fall 2022
Professor: Erica Walls
Students Reporting: 16
Time Reported: 401 hours
Community Partners:
Students are assigned to work with community partners in pairs.
For Love of Children requested an evaluation of their volunteer program. Students conducted systematic interviews of volunteer tutors and shared a final report with recommendations.
Students working with the Latino Student Fund (LSF) leveraging their language skills to create a bi-lingual Qualtrics survey. The LSF is thrilled with the quality of this project and will be able to continue using the survey in the future.
Students worked with Rock Creek Conservancy to help understand individuals' motivation levels to protect Rock Creek after volunteering in stewardship activities. Students helped to design and conduct surveys with the 4000+ people who volunteered within the last year at RCC.
The AnBryce Foundation recently adopted quarterly produced action plan dashboards for its direct service programs. In this project, students focused on the review of their new tool, their onboarding with stakeholders using this tool, revisited action plans, and assessed how the tool can be more impactful for the organization.
Students worked with Horton's Kids in an evaluation of their Excel tracker tool which they use to track distribution of items to families for their health and wellness program. Students supported the evaluation of this tool.
Fall 2021
Professor: Michelle Kelso
Students Reporting: 17
Time Reported: 458 hours
Students in Professor Kelso’s course expressed excitement over their semester-long projects, for many it was their first time conducting in-person service since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to written reports, community partners were given a presentation at the end of the year on students’ evaluations.
Community Partners
Each partner was assigned a team of 2-4 students.
ArtReach GW ArtReach GW, part of the Nashman Center, is a free visual arts program at GW which partners with residents in D.C. In addition to free classes and community programs, ArtReach oversees the Community Gallery at THEARC, which serves as an exhibition venue for program participants, local artists, community organizations, and schools.
Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington The Breastfeeding Center aims to support families from pregnancy through the transitions of early parenthood with relationship-based care, evidence-based instruction and resources, and integrative health services for lactation and postpartum.
GW Votes GW Votes, part of the Nashman Center, is a nonpartisan coalition of students, faculty and staff that promotes voter registration and participation among students at GW.
Little Friends for Peace LFFP is a non-profit organization that empowers people to solve problems nonviolently using compassion to build a culture of peace.
The Store (GW) The Store is GW’s food pantry, aimed at preventing food insecurity on campus. As volunteers with the GW Store, students assist with sorting through donations, organizing shelves, and preparing the pantry for other students.
Quotes from students:
“With my project evaluation for Art Reach, I was able to learn about an organization that provides crucial services in alternative art therapy practices in the D.C. area. I hope the research and evaluation we provide will aid Art Reach GW in fulfilling and expanding its inspiring mission to increase art literacy and emotional/creative expression.” - A student working with Art Reach
“Throughout my time working with GW Votes, I conducted outreach across a broad spectrum in order to distribute our survey far and wide across the student population. I asked professors to share with classes, reached out to issue-based and subject-based organizations on campus to share with members, promoted across our various social networks / media (Instagram, Facebook, GroupMe), and walked around populated areas of campus with the QR code for students to scan and complete the survey.” - A student working with GW Votes
“Working with Will and connecting with other members in Nashman was a great experience. We had productive meetings with clear end goals and Will (as well as Professor Kelso) was very flexible / patient with helping us through this evaluation this semester.” - A student serving with GW Votes
“Working with the Store is a great experience. Our group was excited to learn more about food insecurity at GW to better serve our peers.” - A student serving with The Store
