You will need to identify the specific information ("data elements") needed to answer your evaluation questions of interest.
Each box in the logic model below contains sample data elements, the rationale for why you would collect the element, and potential data sources.
Identifying Data Elements
- The Context in which the program operates
- Assumptions – why the program should work ("program theory") and the nature of the problem
- Inputs – the resources required to operate the program
- Interventions and activities – what the program is and does
- Outputs – what is produced by program activities
- Immediate outcomes – what participants learned, their reactions to the program, and any short-term behavior change
- Subsequent outcomes – what learning, new or sustained behavior change, and "behavior spillover" to other positive behaviors
- Societal goals – the ultimate reason you are intervening
Other Resources
- The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation National Science Foundation
- Developing process evaluation questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Harrel, A., Burt, M., Hatry, H., Rossman, S., Roth, J. & Sabol., W. (n.d.). Evaluation strategies for human services programs. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
- "Evaluation Resource Guide for Responsible Fatherhood Program," Office of Family Assistance.
- Data Collection Methods, the Compassion Capital Fund National Resource Center
- Checklist for Data Collection Design, the Compassion Capital Fund National Resource Center
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation. The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation Glossary.