Program evaluation is central to understanding the effectiveness and impact of public sector policies and programs. This course provides participants with the essential knowledge and practical skills to design, conduct and apply evaluations that inform decision-making and improve outcomes. Through real-world examples and applied exercises, participants will gain the confidence to integrate evaluation practices into their everyday work.
Is this course right for you?
This course is designed for those who have been exposed to introductory public policy courses and are looking to further develop their skills in policy or program roles.
It may be right for you if you:
- Work in a policy role and want to further develop your evaluation skills
- Are responsible for policy or program implementation
- Are a policy officer or analyst seeking to integrate evaluation practices into your work
- Manage or lead a team responsible for assessing program effectiveness
- Want to better understand how to design, conduct and apply evaluations in a public sector context
- Need practical tools to support evidence-based decision-making
What you’ll explore
This course covers the essential concepts and practical steps involved in program evaluation, from defining success measures to communicating findings clearly.
- Understanding what program evaluation is and why it matters
- Defining evaluation criteria, questions and success measures
- Designing effective evaluation frameworks and data collection methods
- Developing and administering surveys and questionnaires
- Analysing, synthesising and communicating findings
- Presenting evaluation results clearly and persuasively
Benefits to You and Your Organisation
- Explain the purpose and value of program evaluation in the public sector
- Design an evaluation framework suited to your program or policy context
- Develop meaningful evaluation questions, measures and tools
- Analyse and present findings that support evidence-based decisions
- Strengthen your ability to measure and communicate program impact
- Improve decision-making through evidence-based insights
- Build confidence in planning and conducting evaluations
- Use practical tools and templates to support ongoing evaluation practice
- Support a shared understanding of evaluation principles across teams
Should Attend
This course is ideal for policy officers and analysts seeking to integrate evaluation practices, as well as managers or team leaders responsible for assessing program effectiveness.
It will also suit those wishing to further develop their skills in policy roles, or those responsible for policy or program implementation.
Group Bookings
**For groups of five or more, IPAA SA can tailor the training to suit your organisation. Group bookings may also be eligible for a preferential rate. Complete the form, and our team will be in touch to discuss options. **
Learn about our speakers
Dr. Atlaf Virani
Lecturer in Government, College of Business, Government and Law
Flinders University
Dr. Altaf Virani is a Lecturer in Government at Flinders University’s College of Business, Government and Law. He specializes in public policy, governance, and public administration with a focus on health policy and health systems, public systems, social policy, and development. His research is centred around public sector reform and the governance challenges of public service delivery in resource-poor settings, transitional economies, and non-Western contexts, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. His research seeks to bridge theory and practice, and touches on policy design, public sector performance management, market-based governance, public-private partnership, collaborative governance, data-driven decision-making, knowledge-translation, and the equity implications of policy interventions.
Before joining Flinders, Dr. Virani served as Associate Professor of Public Policy at Monash University, Indonesia, where he led the development and strategic expansion of Monash’s public policy program in Jakarta. He has a strong applied focus, having worked with governments, international agencies (including the World Bank, ILO, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and civil society organizations to design, implement, and evaluate field-based policy research.
Dr. Virani holds a PhD in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and was a Fox International Fellow (2017–18) at Yale University’s MacMillan Centre for International and Area Studies. An active contributor to the academic community, he serves as Associate Editor for Policy Design and Practice and on the editorial board of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice and the Steering Committee of the India Public Policy Network. His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Public Administration, Policy and Society, Policy Design and Practice, Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, Globalization and Health, Global Health Research and Policy, Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, as well as by academic presses like Oxford University Press and Edward Elgar.
Upcoming course availability
In person
August 2026
Thursday, 20 August 2026
Format
Face-to-face
Duration
1 full day
9:30am-4:30pm (9:15am registration)
Inclusions
Workbook, resources, lunch, morning tea and refreshments
Location
12 Pirie Street, Adelaide CBD, SA 5000
(please visit registration links for further information)
View map
Costs
Personal Member $575
State Govt Employee Member $615
Corporate Member $625
Non-member $725
