CCI Services
Program Design and Evaluation Research
As defined by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology, Applied Sociology is “any use (often client-centered) of the sociological perspective and/or its tools in the understanding of, intervention in, and/or enhancement of human social life.” At CCI, this means research teams use a wide range of Sociological Theories and Methodologies to help agencies understand the myriad of social problems in our community, with the goal of improving the quality of life for all citizens. CCI works with community organizations, both large and small, on a personal level to provide them with the results they need to succeed.
Needs and Assets Assessment
An assessment of the needs and assets unique to a neighborhood, agency, or program is a helpful tool in social science research. Such an assessment provides the foundation from which tailored initiatives can be formed and implemented. CCI uses a variety of data gathering techniques for needs and assets assessments, such as telephone and door-to-door surveys, face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and community forums. The combination of these techniques assists the research team in painting the most comprehensive picture for stakeholders.
Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping
GIS is a system of hardware and software used for storage, retrieval, mapping, and analysis of geographic data. Practitioners also regard the total GIS as including the operating personnel and the data that go into the system. CCI uses published and proprietary data in a GIS to spatially examine social aspects for mapping and analysis.
Data Collection: Forms, Surveys, Focus Groups, Interviews
CCI develops data collection instruments for each project as needed to collect the quantitative and qualitative data. While forms are mostly used by staff to collect data on the program, the survey, focus group, and interview instruments are used by CCI evaluators to gather information on the participants.
CCI also offers to collect information for you online through our web survey tool.
Database Design and Implementation
Grant specific databases are created in Microsoft Access and based on the data collection forms. Depending on the use, project staff and/or CCI evaluators may enter data into the database. Databases are used to take advantage of their capabilities to relate tables of information, to increase the quality of data by decreasing entry errors and to provide easy to use reports.
Utilize Productivity Software
- Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Power Point
- SPSS Statistical Package
- ESRI Mapping: ArcView, ArcIMS, Business Analyst
- Adobe Suite: Dreamweaver, Photoshop
- Web Applications: Qualtrics, PHP, MySQL