Course 1E: Research and Evaluation in the Human Rights Field
7 January-5 April 2002

Facilitator: Felisa Tibbitts

Human rights activists and educators will be introduced to the fundamentals of research design, qualitative and quantitative methods, data collection and applications for improving programming. Learners will participate in exercises to develop basic research skills, analyse research studies, and will practise designing a research or evaluation project. Course participants will also become better "consumers" of such studies. Participants are encouraged to come to the course with a research or evaluation project idea that can be developed within the course.

Course outline

Week 1. Introduction of participants, logistics and familiarising with technology
Week 2. Introduction to research purposes and application in the human rights field
Week 3. Overview of research methods
Week 4. Analysis of cases
Week 5. Survey design
Week 6. Statistical and quantitative measurement
Week 7. Observations and the use of artifacts
Week 8. Interviewing process
Week 9. Qualitative analysis
Week 10. Research/instrument design
Week 11. Presenting research results
Week 12. Managing the research/evaluation process
Final assignments due by Week 15.

About the instructor/facilitator

Felisa Tibbitts -- is Director of Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). Ms. Tibbitts has Master's degrees from Harvard University in Public Policy and in Education with a specialisation in research methods. She has worked as an evaluator and researcher in the United States, Europe and Asia since 1989, where she has been involved in classroom-based research, needs assessment, programme evaluation, training and workshop evaluation, and assessment design. Ms. Tibbitts' clients have included the Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, the University of Maryland and SIDA. She has published extensively, and contributed to several evaluation guides, including "Evaluation in the Human Rights Education Field: Getting Started" (1997, second edition is forthcoming in 2002).

Who should apply

The course is intended for staff members of human rights/social justice organisations. Participants should have a good written command of English (any proof, e.g. certificate, diploma of English language proficiency should be enclosed with the application) and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use. The number of participants is limited to 25 per course. HREA aims to ensure equal gender and geographical distribution across the selected participants.

Participants are requested to send:
- a copy of their CV (2-3 pages)
- a completed Application Form
- two letters of recommendation
- a cover letter stating their motivation for participating and personal goals in the course

The application deadline for this course was Wednesday, 7 November 2001. We are no longer accepting applications.