Research and Evaluation Program (RES)
What IS the RES Program?
For the most up-to-date information about the RES program, please visit the program website.
Research and Evaluation is a one-year Ontario College Graduate Certificate program designed for students to hone their technical skills in research and evaluation. Students learn to plan, conduct, measure and report on research to support decision-making.
Applying research to make a real difference is an increasingly necessary part of working in the not-for-profit and public sectors. The Research and Evaluation program will help students apply their research interests in real-world settings, such as social agencies, healthcare, education and the private sector while honing their technical skills and cross-disciplinary perspectives. Students develop sought-after skills in research design, data analysis and the professional issues involved in measuring the performance of projects, policies and programs. These in-demand skills are desirable in a wide range of fields, including government, social agencies, health care, and the private sector.
Meet your Coordinator
Catherine (Kate ) Traill
Email: ctraill@fanshawec.ca
Professor Traill’s Top 3 Success Tips
- Plan your time! It’s important to map out your week to ensure that you’ve allocated enough time to attend class, review the online modules, and complete assignments.
- Collaborate! Your colleagues and peers in this program will be valuable professional resources for you in the coming years. There’s also a lot of group work in this program. Get to know—and learn—from each other.
- Get involved! London is a great community, and there are lots of ways to volunteer, network, and build your professional capacity.
What Students Are Saying?
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Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to
- Use current information technology tools to retrieve, organize, process, and communicate both qualitative and quantitative evaluation and research data
- Translate research and program evaluation goals into appropriate evaluation designs and methods
- Construct actionable recommendations for stakeholders based on accurate analysis of the information
- Design clear, persuasive and accurate documentation to collect, support and present data for program evaluation and research projects
- Meet the objectives of organizations and clients through applying appropriate program evaluation and research methods, and through accurately analyzing research and evaluation findings
- Apply appropriate statistical techniques to generate high-quality information and analysis
- Complete all work in accordance with ethical, legislative and professional requirements and standards
- Contribute to the management of a project, ensuring that it meets all necessary goals and parameters (e.g. scope, design/features, timelines, etc.)
- Effectively communicate specialized information to diverse audiences with varying degrees of technical knowledge
- Accurately and persuasively report on the progress and results of program evaluation and research projects to relevant stakeholders
- Increase organizational efficacy by capturing, interpreting and applying organizational information using knowledge management techniques
RES Courses
Students in RES take the following courses:
COMM – 6034 Reading, Writing & Audience Analysis
This course provides students with strong knowledge of the principles of clear, concise and correct communication. Students will analyze examples of written, visual and oral communication for their structure, style, tone, and rhetorical strategies and will consider the relationship of the writer to his/her audience and purpose. Additionally, students will develop an appreciation of the stylistic and rhetorical conventions in specific professional fields (e.g. business, health sciences, technology, etc.). Finally, students will learn to apply these concepts to their own writing, and to construct well-structured and grammatically correct texts that fulfill audience needs and expectations.
RSCH – 6005 Program Evaluation & Performance
This course defines and surveys the nature, goals, methods and potential scope of program evaluation. It also defines and explores the nature, methods and goals of performance measurement and management, and the processes that provide the data used in program evaluation. Principles and specific approaches to program evaluation and performance measurement are explored and differentiated in terms of goals, outcomes (versus outputs) and conclusions. Students will learn how to address common issues in the design and implementation of program-related performance measurement systems.
SOSC – 6001 Program Eval Policy & Ethics Contexts
In this course, students will recognize and respond appropriately to the role of program and organizational policy in program evaluation, and will learn to assess policy adherence and fulfilment in an evaluation. Students will also learn about professional ethics in evaluation practice, including the Evaluations Ethics Guidelines of the Canadian Evaluation Society, and they will use these guidelines in the analysis of ethical dilemmas in evaluation. Finally, this course will explore the importance of competence and the use of current best practices in the execution of a professional evaluation, and the benefits of well-designed and executed program evaluation in informing organizational / public sector policy and improving accountability.
RSCH – 6002 Qualitative Research Methods
In this course, students will examine qualitative research purposes, design, planning, data collection, evaluation and reporting. Qualitative research methods are explored, which may include interview, panel / focus group, observational, description, social network analysis, and other sociometric methods. Students will apply analytical methods and software tools to qualitative research data.
RSCH – 6004 Survey Methods
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of survey design, including analysis and evaluation to answer research and evaluation questions, selection of participants and sampling method, deployment, informed consent and other ethical considerations, and data collection approaches. Students will design appropriate survey questions for various modes of administration, conduct computer-based survey analysis, and examine the issues in reliability and internal / external validity in survey design and sampling.
RSCH – 6003 Quantitative Research Methods
In this course, students will review basic principles of quantitative research design and statistical analysis methods, including concepts and methods to assess probability, dispersion, central tendency and simple correlation, inferential statistics and nonparametric statistics. Students will learn to apply multivariate methods using real-world evaluation and policy contents. Multivariate methods will focus on multiple regression techniques and basic analysis of variance. Topics include measurement reliability and validity of inferences, and use of software for statistical analysis.
RSCH – 6006 Evaluation Design & Project Management
In this course, students will learn about the appropriate design of a program evaluation, including research methodology; evaluation scope, timelines and processes; performance assessment measures and tools; and gathering reliable and valid data on program outcomes, including Key Performance Indicators. This will be applied to the design of evaluations for several purposes and stakeholder groups. Finally, common issues that arise in the course of the implementation and project management of evaluations will be identified and addressed.
SOSC – 6002 Knowledge Translation & Management
In this course, students will learn to communicate research and evaluation findings for audiences of varying levels of sophistication and quantitative/qualitative expertise, in accurate yet accessible language and graphics. In addition, students will explore the knowledge management continuum (data-information-knowledge-wisdom), and methods of managing the creation, documentation, access to and mobilization / use of knowledge in organizations. The influence of organizational cultures on knowledge mobilization will be addressed, as well as methods to increase the ongoing mobilization and utilization of organizational knowledge.
RSCH – 6007 Evaluation Implementation & Outcomes
Once designed and approved, evaluation projects need to be implemented and managed in a way that ensures that reliable, valid data are gathered and appropriately analysed in a timely fashion. Through the use of case studies, students will explore methods of data gathering and analysis, as well as communication of results and issues that arise in the course of the evaluation project.
COMM – 6032 Professional Presentations
This course will develop advanced presentation skills (including cultivating influence, personal impact, authority and natural presence), and will improve students’ verbal and non-verbal presentation skills in a variety of contexts. Students will structure and deliver professional presentations, both formal and informal, and will prepare appropriate accompanying visual aids; furthermore, strategies for handling questions, generating buy-in, and scripting effective narrative arcs will be covered. The course will also examine the ethical use of copyrighted materials in presentations within both corporate and not-for-profit contexts.
COMM – 6033 Reports
This course fosters students’ skills in developing in-depth, persuasive reports. In groups, students choose a detailed professional communication case study to solve. They work through it for the duration of the course, focusing on strategies for organizing, synthesizing, and presenting information, for collaborative writing, and for implementing clear, concise prose. Additionally, this course will cover the principles for attractively presenting visual data and incorporating this data within written documents. The reports that the student groups produce will adhere to principles that ensure real-world success.
SOSC – 6003 Capstone
Students will complete an individual capstone evaluation project for a government agency or for a community, educational, health, human services or other organization. This will be done under the supervision of a faculty advisor / course leader.
Admission Requirements
Students who enroll in a graduate certificate program are required to possess the following:
- A Two- or Three-Year College Diploma or a Degree*
OR - Acceptable combination of related work experience and post-secondary education as judged by the College to be equivalent to the above**
Note:
* A degree is required for the Credentialed Evaluator (CE) designation with the Canadian Evaluation Society.
**Applicants may be required to submit a resume and cover letter that includes details of work experience
Future Career Paths
Career paths are varied based on prior knowledge, training, and skillsets. The Research and Evaluation program will teach you how to research and evaluate, but your own interests will determine what you research and evaluate.
Graduates of our program have pursued careers as a
- Research Assistant / Associate
- Data Analyst
- Clinical Trial Coordinator
- Project Evaluator
- Program Assistant
- Policy Analyst
- Recruiter
- Event Coordinator
- Project Manager
Unique Program Experience
Every Fanshawe student participates in at least one rich, experiential learning opportunity while studying at Fanshawe. SOSC 6003: Capstone provides a SILEx opportunity that will enhance critical Job Skills for the Future.
To learn more about Fanshawe’s SILEx commitment, please visit the Signature Learning Experience website for more details.
