On September 16, 2008, the NN/LM SCR will offer two free classes from the NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Resource Center (http://nnlm.gov/evaluation/) at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library.

8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Answering the Right Questions: Data Collection for Health Information Outreach (4 hours)

In this workshop, participants will learn to apply good principles of data collection to assure that data - both qualitative and quantitative - will be useful in making project decisions.

The emphasis will be on efficient methods that can keep data collection at a manageable level. Topics will include using evaluation questions to focus data collection; conducting short, to-the-point interviews to collect outcome data; using a “contact sheet” to organize interview notes and communicate findings with other team members; using participatory methods to get information from a large number of community members; using standard “counts” (attendance rates; drop-out rates) as evaluation data; and designing and administering short questionnaires.

By the end of the project, participants will be able to:

• Use end-of-session and session-follow-up questionnaires effectively
• Design short questionnaires and interview guides that can be used to collect very targeted feedback
• Design participatory methods to collect qualitative data from a larger group of individuals
• Identify existing information (e.g., attendance) collected for other reporting purposes that can be used for evaluation

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Finding Information in Numbers and Words: Data Analysis for Health Information Outreach (4 hours)

Participants will learn basic methods for compiling and analyzing qualitative and quantitative evaluation data to maximize their usefulness in project improvement and decision-making.

Discussion, presentations, and exercises will cover compiling and analyzing evaluation data. For quantitative data, participants will learn to use descriptive statistics and graphs to make sense of their data. For qualitative methods, participants will learn to organize and code text-based data, then analyze it. Topics will include analyzing qualitative data (e.g., developing and using codes, summarizing, interpreting); compiling and graphing descriptive statistics; and exploring the validity of evaluation findings.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Code text-based (qualitative) data, summarize findings, and use the findings to make improvements or decisions about health outreach programs
• Graph quantitative data to develop visual pictures of findings
• Summarize numerical (quantitative) data using frequencies, percentages, means, medians, and modes
• Interpret findings and use them to make improvements and decisions about health outreach programs

To register for either of these classes: http://nnlm.gov/scr/training/

Please contact Karen Vargas at 713-799-7880 or karen.vargas@exch.library.tmc.edu for more information.

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