Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Evaluation: The Basics

Course Description

Research is inherently political. This is particularly true for Black and other marginalized communities who have historically been made the focus, but not the initiators of, research.

The purpose of this workshop is to give participants a comprehensive overview of research, CBPR, and evaluation, and to equip participants with knowledge of how to differentiate between these methods of inquiry. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) can be defined as a "collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings” (WK Kellogg Foundation Community Health Scholars Program). While CBPR has gained popularity in the health sciences, it has the potential to be useful across disciplines and professions including within the not-for profit sector.

Similar to research and CBPR, evaluation is a method of inquiry that can be used to critically examine a project, program or organization and help to determine whether they have achieved their desired goals, reached who they have sought to serve, and how effectiveness can be improved.

The workshop will provide information on the origin, benefits and challenges, and approaches to CBPR. It will also equip participants with some of the necessary skills to develop and implement qualitative and quantitative evaluations using examples that cross disciplines and include diverse geographical spaces.

Learning Objectives:  

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify and differentiate between research, community-based participatory research, and evaluation methods

• Understand more clearly, the origins, benefits and challenges of CBPR approaches

• Implement research and evaluation methods where appropriate, to better understand organizational or program impact, as well as improve possible outcomes

Evaluation 

• Short multiple-choice Quiz