Program Evaluation and Data Analysis

One of the trademarks of the 21st century public management is the usage of data and analysis in the decision-making process. A successful public leader will use empirical evidence to guide her decisions. She knows what types of data and analysis she should ask her analysts to collect and conduct, how to consume the results they generate, and how to transform the analytical results into effective communication with stakeholders. This class will help you become that 21st century public leader. At the end of this course, you will understand key principals of performance measures and program evaluation. In addition, you will be able to process, manage, and analyze quantitative data using R, a modern programming language optimized for statistical analysis. I picked R for many reasons: it is free, has many open-source visualization techniques and statistical models, and many statistical and quantitative method courses on campus use it as the language of choice. More importantly, knowing how to use R can be a unique and attractive skill for your employer. Please note: First day of classes is January 13th.