Training and capacity building evaluation: Maximizing resources and results with Success Case Method

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Research Training Evaluation

Background:

• The Office of Community Research and Engagement (OCRE) aims to build sustainable translational research capacity.
• Two independent research training programs were sponsored as initial efforts.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of these training programs is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of the five-step Success Case Method (SCM).
• To evaluate two health promotion and public health training programs using SCM.
• To assess the utility of SCM for decision-making in training initiatives.

Main Methods:

• The Success Case Method (SCM), a five-step evaluative approach.
• Application of SCM to two sponsored research training programs.
• Analysis of training outcomes based on identified success cases.

Main Results:

• SCM identified both trainings as highly successful due to the impact of a few success cases.
• Traditional summative evaluation might deem these results disappointing.
• SCM provides a nuanced view of training effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The Success Case Method is a valuable tool for evaluating health promotion and public health training.
• SCM offers sufficient data for informed decision-making processes.
• This method highlights the importance of qualitative impact in program evaluation.