Instruction of Evaluation Competencies in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-Accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree Programs

Abstract

Although research on evaluation instruction has increased in the past decade, little is known about evaluation education in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)–accredited schools of public health and master of public health (MPH) programs. In this study, instruction of competencies for program evaluators as enumerated by Stevahn, King, Ghere, and Minnema and pedagogies used by instructors to cover the competencies in the MPH degree within CEPH-accredited schools and programs are investigated. To understand these questions, a two-phase sequential mixed method design was used where the first was a review of 156 schools and programs and their 652 evaluation course offerings and the second consisted of administration of a survey to the 580 instructors who taught evaluation courses coded as either partially or fully focused on evaluation, of which 128 responded (22.07%). Results suggest evaluation courses in CEPH-accredited schools and programs cover many evaluator competencies, albeit to various degrees, predominately through lectures and reading materials.