NCDD Resource Center » Assessment Tools

A Comprehensive Approach to Evaluating Deliberative Public Engagement

Sandy Heierbacher — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:02:23 +0000

This 2008 essay by John Gastil (professor in the Department of Communication, University of Washington) provides a definition of citizen deliberation and suggests broad categories for evaluation, including design integrity, sound deliberation and judgment, influential conclusions/actions, and other secondary benefits (e.g., positive changes to individual participants’ civic attitudes and improvement in local political practices). Evaluation methods are identified for measuring each of these evaluation criteria, and summary recommendations consider how to conduct a thorough, integrated project assessment with a small or larger evaluation budget. Download here.

A Manager’s Guide to Evaluating Citizen Participation

Sandy Heierbacher — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:10:28 +0000

The Obama Administration’s Open Government initiative is now three years old. But is it making a difference? Tina Nabatchi’s new report (2012), published by the IBM Center for The Business of Government, provides a practical assessment guide for government program managers so they can assess whether their efforts are making a difference. The report lays out evaluation steps for both the implementation and management of citizen participation initiatives as well as how to assess the impact of a particular citizen participation initiative. An appendix provides helpful worksheets, as well.

Agencies in coming years will face greater fiscal pressures and they will also face increased citizen demands for greater participation in designing and overseeing their policies and programs. Understanding how to most effectively engage citizens in their government will likely increase in importance. Nabatchi hopes this evaluation guide will be a useful framework for government managers at all levels in helping them determine the value of their citizen participation initiatives.

The report can be downloaded from the Center’s website:

http://www.businessofgovernment.org/report/manager%E2%80%99s-guide-evaluating-citizen-participation

If you would like to distribute hard copies of this report to others, please e-mail or call the IBM Center at (202) 551-9342 to request free copies.

Tina Nabatchi, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs and Faculty Research Associate, PARCC, at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University.

A SeeClickFix for Public Participation?

Sandy Heierbacher — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:41:44 +0000

The Deliberative Democracy Consortium recently released “A SeeClickFix for Public Participation?” Tools like SeeClickFix tap into the capacity of citizens to be ‘intelligent sensors’ of their environment, allowing them to report problems like potholes and graffiti. Can this same thinking, and some of the same technology, allow citizens to gather, track, and analyze data on public participation?

In this project, a team of MPA students from the Maxwell School at Syracuse conducted exploratory research on this question, interviewing a variety of participation and evaluation experts, ranging from practitioners to evaluators and technologists. The team was supervised by Dr. Tina Nabatchi of the Maxwell School. In addition to the report, which is on the DDC’s Resource page, you can also view the slides used by Maxwell students Mariana Becerril-Chavez, Katharyn Lindemann, Jack Mayernik, and Joe Ralbovsky toto describe their findings in a recent webinar.

Resource link: http://69.89.31.237/~deliber3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=182%3Amaxwell-capstone-report&catid=47%3Acontributions&Itemid=89

A Survey for Use in Evaluating Dialogue Programs

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This questionnaire was designed by Walter Stephan at New Mexico State University (1999) to be used to examine the outcomes of dialogue groups. The intention was to measure attitudes toward racial, ethnic and cultural groups, optimism regarding the future of race relations in this country, willingness to interact with members of other racial and ethnic groups, perceived understanding of other racial and ethnic groups, and racial and ethnic stereotypes. Presented by the Western Justice Center.

Resource Link: www.ncdd.org/exchange/files/docs/walter_stephan.pdf

Advancing Liberal Education: Assessment Practices on Campus

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This short publication presents the stories of six different colleges and universities that have developed innovative programs to advance and assess key liberal education outcomes. Originally written for AAC&U News, these stories–which focus on writing, information literacy, understanding of diversity, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and civic engagement–offer models for effective assessment practices. Also included is information about finding additional assessment resources.

Michael Ferguson

Association of American Colleges & Universities

Resource Link: Advancing Liberal Education: Assessment Practices on Campus

This 18-page publication is $12 for non-members of AAC&U.

Assessing Campus Diversity Initiatives: A Guide for Campus Practitioners

D&D Resources — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:59:59 +0000

This 184-page guide provides tips and tools for designing and developing effective diversity evaluations. Topics addressed include the need for assessment, designing an evaluation plan, institutional context, audience, data collection and analysis, performance indicators, and theoretical models. An appendix also includes sample assessment and evaluation tools from campuses across the country.

SKU: GUIDE; ISBN/ISSN: 0-911696-86-5. $18.00 (non-member price). To order AAC&U publications, email pub_desk@aacu.org or call 800-297-3775 (202-387-3760).

Mildred Garcia, Cynthia Hudgins, Caryn McTighe Musil, Michael T. Nettles, William E. Sedlacek, and Daryl G. Smith

Association of American Colleges & Universities (2002)

We are indebted to Sivagami (Shiva) Subbaraman of the Office of Human Relations Programs (www.ohrp.umd.edu/WE/) and the Office of LGBT Equity at the University of Maryland, for compiling this and other great LGBT resources for the NCDD website. LGBT is short for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.

Assessing EPA’s Federal Advisory Committee Act Committees: A User’s Guide with Questionnaires

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This user’s guide gathers information and tools for EPA staff to use in generating feedback on the effectiveness of EPA Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Committees.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2003)

Resource Link: www.ncdd.org/exchange/files/docs/EPA_federal_adv_comm_act.doc

Assessing EPA’s Listening Sessions: A User’s Guide with Questionnaires

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This user’s guide gathers information and tools for EPA staff to use in generating feedback on the effectiveness of public listening sessions and the effectiveness of follow-up after them.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2003)

Resource Link: www.ncdd.org/exchange/files/docs/EPA_listening_sessions.doc

Assessing EPA’s Public Meetings: A User’s Guide with Questionnaires

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This user's guide gathers information and tools for EPA staff to use in generating feedback on the effectiveness of public meetings and the effectiveness of follow-up after them.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2003)

Resource Link: www.ncdd.org/exchange/files/docs/EPA_public_meetings.doc

Assessing EPA’s Small Discussion Groups: A User’s Guide with Questionnaires

D&D Resources — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:59:59 +0000

This user's guide gathers information and tools for EPA staff to use in generating feedback on the effectiveness of small discussion groups.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2003)

Resource Link: www.ncdd.org/exchange/files/docs/EPA_small_disc_grps.doc