Once you have decided where you’re going, you need to figure out how to get there. A theory of change explains “how and why the program will work.”1 It describes how your program will help you get from where you are to your desired outcomes in both narrative and graphic formats. A theory of change can be messy, recursive, and multidimensional, just like reality.2 A different approach is to create a logic model, in which the “how and why” are broken down into components arranged in a more logical order. Connell and Kubisch (1998) describe a good theory of change as plausible, doable, and testable. In either case, work backwards from your outcomes until you reach the specific activities that will begin the change you want to see.
In this video, Jay Memmot lists five steps to developing a theory of change:
<iframe width="740" height="400" border="none" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jiA0xO_HGNw"> </iframe>Fun activities > participants enjoy the robotics lab > participants become more interested in robotics > participants want to learn more about robotics
Materials spread across different round worktables > participants socialize with each other > participants give each other advice and feedback > participants collaborate on projects > participants develop collaboration skills
- Project Outcome hosts a wealth of information, advice, and resources for developing, measuring and reporting outcomes specifically in a public library setting.
- Outcomes, Impacts, and Indicators (2015, Library Journal) provides an in-depth look at developing program outcomes in a library.
- DIY Learn has created a free, two-hour online class devoted exclusively to understanding and developing a theory of change.
Footnotes
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Weiss, C. H. (1995). Nothing as practical as good theory: Exploring theory-based evaluation for comprehensive community initiatives for children and families. New Approaches to Evaluating Community Initiatives: Concepts, Methods, and Contexts, 1, 65–92. ↩