Module 2: Foundations of Program Evaluation for Institutional Research Training Programs

Purpose: Program evaluation is essential for understanding, improving, and demonstrating the effectiveness of institutional research training programs. This module provides the foundation for building meaningful, evidence-based evaluation practices that align with NIH expectations and support continuous program improvement.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this module, learners will be able to: 

• Identify the four core principles for program evaluation and recognize how they work together to create credible, useful, and feasible evaluation plans. 

• Recognize when, where, and how to begin evaluation planning to ensure efforts are intentional, aligned, and sustainable.  

• Identify NIH requirements, review criteria, and institutional expectations for evaluation in institutional research training programs.  

• Describe the three pillars of the program evaluation framework and reflect on how this model can be used to enhance evaluation within their own programs.