CSP Program Design & Implementation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A practitioner is implementing a new housing stability program and notices that case managers interpret eligibility criteria very differently. The BEST corrective action is to:
- Let each case manager use professional discretion
- Develop standardized eligibility protocols and provide training to ensure consistent application (Correct answer)
- Replace case managers who deviate from the intended process
- Narrow eligibility to reduce ambiguity
Correct answer: Develop standardized eligibility protocols and provide training to ensure consistent application
Standardized protocols and training promote implementation fidelity and reduce inequitable variation in service delivery.
Question 2: When using participatory action research (PAR) in program design, community members are PRIMARILY involved as:
- Research subjects who provide data only
- Co-researchers who shape questions, collect data, and interpret findings (Correct answer)
- Paid consultants who review draft materials
- Focus group participants at the final stage
Correct answer: Co-researchers who shape questions, collect data, and interpret findings
PAR is defined by the active co-ownership of the research process by community members throughout all stages.
Question 3: A sociological practitioner conducting a stakeholder analysis should map stakeholders according to their:
- Age and income level only
- Level of interest in and power over the program (Correct answer)
- Geographic proximity to the program site
- Political affiliation and public visibility
Correct answer: Level of interest in and power over the program
Stakeholder analysis typically uses an interest-power matrix to prioritize engagement strategies.
Question 4: Which program design element is MOST directly linked to ensuring informed consent among participants?
- Randomized assignment to treatment groups
- Clear disclosure of program goals, activities, data use, and voluntary participation (Correct answer)
- Confidential feedback surveys at program end
- Income-based eligibility screening
Correct answer: Clear disclosure of program goals, activities, data use, and voluntary participation
Informed consent requires participants to receive transparent information about the program before agreeing to participate.
Question 5: A community health program has achieved its pilot goals but must scale to three new counties. The practitioner should FIRST:
- Immediately hire staff in all three counties simultaneously
- Assess contextual differences across counties that may require adaptation (Correct answer)
- Replicate the pilot exactly without modifications
- Wait until the original site has run for five years
Correct answer: Assess contextual differences across counties that may require adaptation
Contextual assessment before scaling prevents implementation failures caused by differing community needs and resources.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a process evaluation question in program implementation?
- Did participants' employment rates increase after the program?
- Did the program reduce neighborhood crime over five years?
- Were program services delivered as designed and did participants access them? (Correct answer)
- What was the return on investment for funders?
Correct answer: Were program services delivered as designed and did participants access them?
Process evaluation assesses implementation quality — whether the program was delivered as intended to the intended population.
Question 7: A practitioner discovers midway through implementation that a key assumption in the program's theory of change was incorrect. The recommended response is to:
- Continue implementation to avoid disrupting current participants
- Document the assumption error, reassess the theory of change, and adjust accordingly (Correct answer)
- Terminate the program immediately
- Inform funders only after the program cycle ends
Correct answer: Document the assumption error, reassess the theory of change, and adjust accordingly
Adaptive management requires practitioners to update program assumptions and make evidence-based adjustments during implementation.
CSP Program Design & Implementation 3
A practitioner is implementing a new housing stability program and notices that case managers interpret eligibility criteria very differently.
The BEST corrective action is to: