title: Can a workbook work? Examining whether a practitioner evaluation toolkit can promote instrumental use.
abstract: In large-scale, multi-site contexts, developing and disseminating practitioner-oriented evaluation toolkits are an increasingly common strategy for building evaluation capacity. Toolkits explain the evaluation process, present evaluation design choices, and offer step-by-step guidance to practitioners. To date, there has been limited research on whether such resources truly foster the successful design, implementation, and use of evaluation findings. In this paper, we describe a multi-site project in which we developed a practitioner evaluation toolkit and then studied the extent to which the toolkit and accompanying technical assistance was effective in promoting successful completion of local-level evaluations and fostering instrumental use of the findings (i.e., whether programs directly used their findings to improve practice, see Patton, 2008). Forensic nurse practitioners from six geographically dispersed service programs completed methodologically rigorous evaluations; furthermore, all six programs used the findings to create programmatic and community-level changes to improve local practice. Implications for evaluation capacity building are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 127 C Psychology Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1116, United States. Electronic address: rmc@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Townsend Consulting & Evaluation, 8 Locke Drive, Pittsford, NY 14534, United States. Electronic address: Stephanie.Townsend@earthlink.net.
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Justice. Electronic address: Jessica.Shaw@ojp.doj.gov.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: CARE USA, 151 Ellis Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States. Electronic address: nkarim@care.org.
authors.forename: Nidal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.affiliation: Forensic Nurse Consultant, 2308 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Suite 238, Alexandria, VA 22301, United States. Electronic address: jenifer.markowitz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jenifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Markowitz
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D053604:Forensic Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000451:nursing*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011902:Rape / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D019035:Rural Health Services; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014481:United States; D019037:Urban Health Services
keywords: Evaluation capacity building; Evaluation toolkits; Instrumental use; Multi-site evaluations