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Evaluation Capacity-Building Plan 2021-2025

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This NIOSH Evaluation Capacity-Building (ECB) Plan outlines specific evaluation capacity needs and how NIOSH will address them. It covers the five-year period of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. The ECB Plan builds upon the lessons learned in reviewing 13 research programs for relevance and impact. NIOSH must grow in four specific areas so that our research continues to be relevant and impactful:

  1. Collecting and documenting intermediate outcomes (i.e., a actions taken by external persons or organizations to improve occupational safety and health in response to knowledge or products generated by NIOSH or NIOSH-funded initiatives, projects, or programs)
  2. Implementing program review recommendations
  3. Developing a long term-strategy for implementing program reviews
  4. Increasing use of implementation research (i.e., The study of processes by which interventions that were developed and tested to address OSH hazards and risks and/or promote health and well-being are disseminated, adopted, implemented, sustained, and scaled up equitably in real-world settings)

Learning agenda approach

NIOSH designed the ECB Plan as a learning agenda, in response to the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policy Making Act. Learning agendas are also sometimes called strategic evidence-building plans. These documents are planning tools to generate evidence to address challenging problems. The ECB Plan adapts this idea by focusing on four key learning questions. Each key question has specific activities with steps to complete each one. The table below outlines the key learning questions and activities for all topic areas. Using the learning agenda format now will help NIOSH transition to an evidence-building learning agenda after we complete the ECB Plan.

Learn more

NIOSH provides annual updates about the ECB Plan to our Board of Scientific Counselors. Learn more about our progress in 2021 and 2022.

If you would like a copy of the full version of the ECB plan, contact NIOSHpgmportfolio@cdc.gov

Key Learning Questions

Key Learning Questions

Key Learning Questions

Key Learning Activities

Key Learning Activities

Key Learning Activities

How can NIOSH incorporate the collection and documentation of intermediate outcomes (IOs) into its processes?

Key Learning Questions

How can NIOSH incorporate the collection and documentation of intermediate outcomes (IOs) into its processes?

  1. Assess motivations and barriers to collecting IOs.
  2. Develop educational and awareness raising materials around IOs.
  3. Raise awareness and educate NIOSH staff about IOs.
Key Learning Activities
  1. Assess motivations and barriers to collecting IOs.
  2. Develop educational and awareness raising materials around IOs.
  3. Raise awareness and educate NIOSH staff about IOs.

How can NIOSH improve its program evaluation process to obtain useful, feasible recommendations?
How can NIOSH better utilize evaluation findings and recommendations?

Key Learning Questions

How can NIOSH improve its program evaluation process to obtain useful, feasible recommendations?
How can NIOSH better utilize evaluation findings and recommendations?

  1. Understand why review panels might provide recommendations that are beyond the capacity of NIOSH programs to implement.
  2. Refine the current process for interactions between NIOSH and review panels to increase utilization of panel findings and recommendations.
  3. Identify barriers and motivators at the researcher, program, and NIOSH levels to implementing feasible
    review panel recommendations.
  4. Increase the inclusion of panel review recommendations in funding opportunities and decision-making at all levels of the Institute.
Key Learning Activities
  1. Understand why review panels might provide recommendations that are beyond the capacity of NIOSH programs to implement.
  2. Refine the current process for interactions between NIOSH and review panels to increase utilization of panel findings and recommendations.
  3. Identify barriers and motivators at the researcher, program, and NIOSH levels to implementing feasible
    review panel recommendations.
  4. Increase the inclusion of panel review recommendations in funding opportunities and decision-making at all levels of the Institute.

What is the long-term strategy for conducting external program reviews at NIOSH?

Key Learning Questions

What is the long-term strategy for conducting external program reviews at NIOSH?

  1. Develop a better understanding of program review strategies utilized by other federal agencies and research organizations.
  2. Develop a statement of purpose and objectives that guide external program reviews.
  3. Develop a long-term strategy for conducting external reviews of NIOSH programs.
Key Learning Activities
  1. Develop a better understanding of program review strategies utilized by other federal agencies and research organizations.
  2. Develop a statement of purpose and objectives that guide external program reviews.
  3. Develop a long-term strategy for conducting external reviews of NIOSH programs.

How can NIOSH use implementation (formerly translation) research to enhance successful adoption, implementation, and sustainment of NIOSH solutions?

Key Learning Questions

How can NIOSH use implementation (formerly translation) research to enhance successful adoption, implementation, and sustainment of NIOSH solutions?

  1. Refine definition and develop supporting materials for implementation (formerly translation) research.
  2. Develop implementation research materials to build capacity within NIOSH.
Key Learning Activities
  1. Refine definition and develop supporting materials for implementation (formerly translation) research.
  2. Develop implementation research materials to build capacity within NIOSH.