Developing and Implementing a Flexible and Informative Program Evaluation Plan

Session Description: Creating an evaluation plan that is flexible enough to adapt as a program grows and changes and informative on program strengths and weaknesses can be an intimidating process. A well laid out evaluation plan begins during the development of a community program or the implementation of a new process within a dental clinic. If a program has clear objectives and measurable goals, it is on the way to having an evaluation plan that can help identify program strengths, weaknesses, long-term sustainability, and impact.

This workshop will provide attendees with a step-by-step process for creating an effective evaluation plan, collecting mixed methods data, and interpreting the data to determine the programs next steps. This type of information is important for long-term program sustainability, funding requirements, and influencing policy. Examples from two oral health transformation programs from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health will be used as examples of evaluation plans in action.