Module 6: HIV Prevention Evaluation for Native Communities

Goal of Module 6: To provide an evaluation framework for your HIV prevention intervention program.

In order to provide an effective HIV prevention intervention for Native people, you will need to ensure that a solid, culturally relevant evaluation plan informs your program from beginning to end. Program evaluation can help determine whether your HIV prevention intervention program is accomplishing what it set out to accomplish. This module includes an overview of helpful cultural components that effect evaluation, hands-on considerations, evaluation steps and tools, and avenues to share lessons learned to help you build an effective evaluation for your HIV prevention intervention program.

Contents 3 Evaluation Steps

This module helps you to create and conduct evaluation of your HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention program.

It includes information on:

1.


Key Concepts to Guide Evaluation

2.
Hands-On Considerations
3.
Evaluation Steps

While there are many different evaluation methods, the method described in this module is based upon the Center for Disease Control’s Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health Programs3 and is illustrated in the logic model below (http://www.cdc.gov/eval/steps.htm)

Evaluation is an ongoing process that provides a stream of information and feedback on a project. Its goal is to inform and improve the program’s performance and contribution to the community over time. This module will take you through each of these 6 evaluation steps.

Step 1 Engage Stakeholders: those invested in the program must be included from evaluation beginning to end. This section will help you define, recruit, and invite stakeholders.
Step 2 Describe the Program: this step conveys the mission, goals, and objectives of your program. This section will aid you in defining and honing these.
Step 3 Focus the Evaluation Design: this segment helps to focus the direction of the evaluation ensuring it includes stakeholders’ concerns and uses program resources efficiently.
Step 4 Gather and Analyze the Evidence: evaluation must be a holistic process and give evaluation users a well-rounded view of the program. This section will guide you in this process.
Step 5 Justify Conclusions: evaluation conclusions are justified when linked to the evidence gathered (and agreed to by stakeholders); this segment will help your evaluation plan to do this.
Step 6 Ensure Use and Share Lessons Learned: in order for evaluation to be used for informed decision-making and action, steps must be taken to ensure it is distributed and shared properly. In this section we will help guide and inform your lessons learned and dissemination.

At each of these evaluation steps, it is important to keep these four standards in mind:

Utility: Who needs the evaluation information and what do they need?
Propriety: What steps need to be taken to make the evaluation ethical (e.g. community input)?
Feasibility: How much time, money, and effort can we put into the evaluation?
Accuracy: What evaluation design will lead to accurate information?

3 http://www.cdc.gov/eval/