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Evaluation of Programs and Public Policies

Code: 100443
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Criminology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Luisa Rodriguez Cortes
Email :
luisa.rodriguez@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

The teaching of the subject will be given taking into account the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The course is taught (both lecture and seminar) in Catalan

Objectives

Evaluation of programs and public policies in the degree:

It is a compulsory fourth-year subject that develops the evaluation process from a disciplinary and professional perspective that is rooted in the evaluation of programs, without forgetting its connections with the design and monitoring of the sameUnderstand the relevant concepts for program evaluation.

1.- Reflect on the concepts related to the process of evaluating plans and programs within the criminological context.

2.- Evaluate plans, programs, projects and activities to intervene in intervention/prevention contexts, specifically in the criminological field.

3.- Analyze program evaluation models applied to different situations within the criminological context.

4.- Contextualize the evaluation in different documents related to criminology.

5.- Express yourself orally with technical rigor and communicative ability.

Learning outcomes

  1. Working autonomously.
  2. Working in teams and networking.
  3. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  4. Drawing up an academic text.
  5. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  6. Applying a prevention program for crime control agents.
  7. Properly using the criminological prevention and intervention programs.
  8. Drawing up a delinquency prevention program.
  9. Producing a social prevention program of delinquency.
  10. Effectively developing a delinquency prevention program in the community area.
  11. Applying an effective evaluative model in order to detect the criminological intervention needs in prison population.
  12. Carrying out a results analysis of a delinquency prevention program.
  13. Demonstrating they know the means and scientific procedures of crime prevention.

Contents

  1. Definition of the subject. Theory of change.
  2. Models for program evaluation
  3. Dimensions of program evaluation
  4. References, criteria and indicators for evaluation. Evaluation of the efficacy, effectiveness and efficency of a program.
  5. Strategies, methodologies, techniques and tools of evaluation.
  6. Meta-evaluation. Frequent problems in program evaluation. The evaluation report.


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Seminars: Evaluation design of a criminal program (group activity) 19.5 0.78 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13
Presential in large group: theory and case analysis (individual with group discussion). 19.5 0.78 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13
Reading of the dossiers-didactic units; Repository of cases worked; Brief reporting and analysis. 106 4.24 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13

The methodological approach of the subject starts from focusing the activity of the process on the student's learning. In order to allow the achievement of this principle, the student should be active and autonomous throughout the process, being the mission of the professor to assist him in this task. In this sense, professors will: 1) support students at all times by providing the information and resources necessary for learning, 2) ensure autonomous learning of students by proposing different learning activities (individual and group, theoretical and practical) under the principle of variety of methods.

In this approach, the subject is structured, in its design and development, in the type of teaching-learning activities that we detail and specify below:

There will be a detailed program of all activities at the beginning of the course.

Classes will start on time. Late arrival and leaving the class before the end, without justifiable reason are not allowed.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Weekly individual exercices in relation to program evaluation in criminological contexts. Includes portfolioslou 58% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13
Individual and group exercices in class 2% 5 0.2 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13
Group evaluation work on a criminology program. Video presentation of the final work 40% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13

1.- Continuous evaluation system:

1.1.- Individual and group theoretical-practical tests (relating to theoretical-practical knowledge in relation to the subject's content and objectives).

1.2.- Weekly individual practices in relation to the evaluation of programs in criminological contexts. Weekly practices that don't reach a grade of 5 will need to be repeated. The subject cannot be approved if all practices are not approved.

1.3. Evaluation work of a group criminological program. Recorder presentation (on video) (analysis of one or more existing plans, programs or projects), with the contribution of evidence analyzed beyond the face-to-face work, especially with regard to expanding the cases or problems raised in the classroom, and always in connection with the theory worked on.

It must be taken into account, however, that there will always be revisions by the teacher at the student's initiative, within the context of continuous or formative assessment.

1.4. Group work

The evaluation of the group design of an evaluation program has a formative purpose from the point of view of its evaluation, since it can be reviewed by the group depending on the task delivered.

This review will be done in the seminars that are considered presenting the results of the group work, in addition, to the rest of the classmates.

The score of this evaluation of the designed program will take place after its written delivery and the sending of a group video where an exhibition will be made to defend the work achieved. This defense will have the character of a summative assessment for this part group.

1.5. Resit

Due to its nature, the resit will involve the correction of the learning elements not achieved, or the incorporation of new evidence by the student that demonstrates the achievement of the required skills.

Completion of all assignments is a prerequisite for passing the subject. The subject cannot be approved if each part is not approved with a 5. Deliverables will be delivered by the virtual platforms indicated in PDF format.

Provided having been delivered, failed exercises and practices may be repeated.

In the case of single assessment, the exam will not be approved ifeach part is not approved.


2.- Other aspects of the assessment

Each individual situation that does not conform to what is written must be communicated to the subject teacher in order to enable the relevant assessments.

Attendance, both in lectures and seminars, is mandatory. To be evaluated, a minimum of 80% must be justified, without accounting for justified absences.

Absences can only be justified for reasons of illness or other force majeure and for academic reasons previously authorized by the teaching staff.

Students will be assessable as long as they have completed a setof activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade for the subject. If the value of the activities carried out does not reach this threshold, the teacher of the subject may consider the student as non-evaluable

Students who cheat or attempt to cheat in an exam will have a 0 in the subject and will lose the right to re-evaluation.

Students who present a practice in which there are signs of plagiarism or who cannot justify the arguments of their practice will get a 0 and will receive a warning.

In case of repetition of the conduct, the student will suspend the subject (0) and lose the right to resit. Therefore, the anti-copying and anti-plagiarism regulations will apply.

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively as a support tool for information searching, locating educational resources, linguistic and grammatical proofreading, document translation, idea organization, and the preparation of outlines or draft materials.

The use of AI does not, under any circumstances, replace the student's own work, analytical skills, critical reflection, or original development of course content. All activities, reflections, observations, analyses of educational institutions, and conclusions must be the result of the student's own work.

Students must clearly and explicitly identify which parts of their work have been supported by AI tools, specify the tools used, and briefly explain how these tools contributed to the development of the assignment.

Failure to disclose the use of AI, or presenting content generated wholly or partially by AI tools as one's own work, will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty in the assessment of the activity, without prejudice to the application of the institution's academic regulations.

All students are required to have a respectful attitude towards the rest of the students. No offensive or discriminatory behavior (due to birth, race, sex, religion, opinion, or any other personal or social circumstance) will be tolerated during classes.


3.- Single evaluation system:

3.1.- Final theoretical exam of all content related to the subject (10%)

3.2.- Final practical exam related to the content of the subject (50%)

3.3- Delivery of the evaluation work of a criminological program in PDF format for the indicated virtual platform.

A tutorial schedule will be established to follow up. Students will have to send a video explaining the work done (40%)

The duration of the test will be approximately 3 hours.

The exam will not be passed if each part is not approved.

Bibliography

General references

Agencia Estatal de Evaluación de la Calidad (2010). Fundamentos de evaluación de políticas públicas. Ministerio de Política Territorial y Administración Pública. http://www.aeval.es/comun/pdf/evaluaciones/Fundamentos_de_evaluacion.pdf.

Asenjo, C. (2016). Guía para el diseño, gestión y utilización de evaluaciones de programas y políticas públicas. EUROSOCIAL. http://sia.eurosocialii.eu/files/docs/1460977721-DT_45_guia%20de%20evaluacion(montado).pdf

Banco Mundial (2004). Seguimiento y evaluación: instrumentos, métodos y enfoques. Banco Mundial.

Comas, D. (2008). Manual de evaluación para políticas, planes, programas y actividades de juventud. Observatorio de la Juventud en España. Servicio de Documentación y Estudios. http://xuventude.xunta.es/uploads/Manual_de_evaluacin_para_polticas_planes_programas_y_actividades_de_juventud.pdf

Frühling, H. (2012). La eficacia de las políticas públicas de seguridad ciudadana en América Latina y el Caribe. Cómo medirla y como mejorarla. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). https://publications.iadb.org/publications/spanish/document/La-eficacia-de-las-pol%C3%ADticas-p%C3%BAblicas-de-seguridad-ciudadana-en-Am%C3%A9rica-Latina-y-el-Caribe-Como-medirla-y-como-mejorarla.pdf

Ivalua. (n.d.). Institute for Socioeconomic Research and Information. https://www.ivalua.ca/ca

Loinaz, I. (2017). Manual de evaluación del riesgo de violencia: metodología y ámbitos de aplicación. Ediciones Pirámide

Martínez-Espasa, J. (2015). Las políticas públicas de seguridad ciudadana. Análisisy propuestas desde la criminología.(Doctoraldissertatioln, Universitat de Valencia). RODERIC. Repositori de Contingut Lliure http://roderic.uv.es/handle/10550/50188

Martínez-Mediano, C. (2017). Evaluación de programas. UNED

Ortegon, J., Pacheco, J., i Prieto, A. (2015). Metodología del marco lógico para la planificación, el seguimiento y la evaluación de proyectos y programas. Naciones Unidas/ CEPAL. https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/5607/S057518_es.pdf.

Osuna, J. L., i Márquez, C. (Drts.) (2002). Guía para la evaluación de políticas públicas. Instituto de Desarrollo Económico. http://siare.clad.org/siare/innotend/evaluacion/manualeval.pdf.

Royse, D., Thyer, D. A. & Padgett, D. K. (2016). Program Evaluation. An introduction to an Evidence-Based Approach. (6ª ed.), Cengage Learning,

Ruiz, A. (coord.) (2015). Guía para el diseño y realización de evaluaciones de políticas públicas. AEVAL

Tejada, J. (2007). Evaluación de programas. Formación de formadores. Escenario institucional (pp. 389-465). Thomson.

Vargas, F. i Becerra, V. (2019). Políticas públicas: del diseño a la evaluación. Yopublico

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NOTES:

The specific bibliography will be presented with the development of the program of the subject, according to the interests of the students in order to overcome the competences of the subject.

The mandatory bibliography will be specified at the beginning of the course.

The material that will be used for the single assessment will be identical to the material for the continuousassessment. During the follow-up with the students, it will be explained in detail.

Software

This subject does not need a specific syllabus

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester afternoon
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 11 Catalan first semester afternoon