Program Planning & Evaluation

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Colette Duval (Assistant Professor of Public Health)
• Email: cduval@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Calder Health Sciences Building 312
• Office Hours:
  • Monday & Thursday: 9:00–10:30 a.m. (In person, Calder Health Sciences Building 312)
  • Friday: 9:00–10:00 a.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Needs assessment, logic models, goals and objectives, implementation planning, budgeting, and process and outcome evaluation of public health programs. PUBH 410 serves as the capstone preparation course for public health majors preparing to enter community practice and their senior practicum. Students learn the systematic methods required to plan, implement, and evaluate evidence-based public health interventions in collaboration with community partners. Utilizing frameworks such as PRECEDE-PROCEED and CDC evaluation standards, students conduct community needs assessments, construct comprehensive logic models, write measurable SMART objectives, develop implementation work plans and line-item budgets, and design rigorous process and outcome evaluations.

Prerequisites

PUBH 301 and PUBH 340.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of PUBH 410, students will be able to:

1. Conduct Community Health Needs Assessments: Collect and triangulate primary and secondary epidemiological, demographic, and qualitative community data to identify and prioritize pressing population health needs.
2. Construct Comprehensive Logic Models: Develop logically aligned program logic models linking identified community problems, resources/inputs, core activities, outputs, and short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes.
3. Formulate Actionable SMART Objectives and Interventions: Write precise, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound process and outcome objectives anchored in behavioral and ecological change theories.
4. Design Implementation Plans and Budgets: Formulate operational implementation work plans, Gantt charts, staffing models, and justifiable line-item program budgets with budget narratives.
5. Develop Process and Outcome Evaluation Methodologies: Design rigorous evaluation protocols utilizing quantitative and qualitative indicators, formative monitoring, fidelity assessments, and experimental or quasi-experimental evaluation designs.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. McKenzie, James F., Brad L. Neiger, and Shawn M. Thackeray. Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer. 8th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2022. Approx. $95 print, $60 digital rental.
2. Issel, L. Michele, and Rebecca Wells. Health Program Planning and Evaluation. 5th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2021. Approx. $90 print or digital.
3. Total estimated cost: $95 to $150.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 2: AI Permitted with Disclosure for Specified Tasks)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), PUBH 410 operates under AI Level 2.

• What is permitted: You may use generative AI tools to brainstorm community intervention activity concepts, organize preliminary logic model components, structure line-item budget categories, and refine the prose of grant proposal drafts for grammatical clarity.
• What is prohibited: You may not use generative AI to fabricate community needs assessment data, write program narratives or evaluation plans, generate fictional stakeholder feedback, or complete quizzes and examinations. Submitting synthetic community assessment data is an academic integrity violation.
• Disclosure: Every major written milestone (the Needs Assessment, the Logic Model, and the Final Grant Proposal) must include an AI disclosure note stating which generative AI tools were used and for what specific drafting or formatting steps. If no AI tools were used, state: 'No generative AI tools were used in preparing this work.'

Grading Components and Weights

• Examination 1 (Planning Models & Needs Assessment): 15% (In class, Thursday, October 1)
• Examination 2 (Implementation, Budgeting, & Evaluation): 15% (In class, Thursday, November 12)
• Community Needs Assessment & Problem Statement: 20% (Due Friday, October 23 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Comprehensive Program Planning & Evaluation Grant Proposal: 20% (Due Friday, November 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Weekly Planning & Logic Model Canvas Quizzes: 10% (Due Mondays at 11:59 p.m. in Canvas; lowest quiz score dropped)
• Final Examination: 20% (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 3:30–5:30 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No individual extra credit assignments are offered in PUBH 410.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Attendance and proactive seminar contributions are required. In this capstone preparation course, class sessions function as an agency planning team where students collaboratively refine logic models, budgets, and evaluation metrics. If you anticipate an absence due to illness or an interview, notify Dr. Duval prior to class. More than two unexcused absences will result in a deduction from your final grade. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Project milestones and written assignments submitted late will incur a 10% penalty per calendar day up to a maximum of three days. Assignments submitted later than 72 hours will receive zero credit. Weekly Canvas quizzes must be completed by the Monday deadline.

Public Health Practicum Prerequisite Requirements

PUBH 410 is a strict prerequisite for PUBH 490 Public Health Practicum & Senior Seminar. Students must achieve a minimum grade of C in PUBH 410 and complete 120 verified hours of pre-practicum agency volunteerism prior to enrolling in PUBH 490.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 3:30–5:30 p.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).