Abstract

A logic model is a versatile and useful visual planning tool that can be used to tell the story of a research project or programme in diagram-format. Using concise, simple descriptions, a logic model helps plot a pathway to impact, and serves as a useful tool against which to evaluate project outcomes and impact. Increasingly, funding organisations require a logic model as part of grant proposals.

In this interactive, practical session, we will draw upon best practice in logic modelling to introduce the concept (Shakman and Rodriguez, 2015; Evaluation Support Scotland, 2012; McLaughlin and Jordan, 1999). Using case studies and examples, we will illustrate the concepts embedded in a logic model. Participants will learn the purpose of logic models, become familiar with the different elements of a logic model, and discover how to connect the steps of the model to maximise research impact.

Developing a logic model is a useful process to work through when planning research projects. The different elements of a logic model can help focus on what a project is aiming to address, and what you will do to address it.

In the workshop, participants will learn about the elements that make up a typical logic model:
- Resources / Inputs
- Activities to achieve the intended outcomes
- Outputs
- Short- and mid-term outcomes (e.g. changes in participants’ knowledge, beliefs, and behavior due to their involvement in the activities)
- Long-term outcomes / impacts (e.g. the lasting influences from involvement in a project)

Participants will explore how logic models can be used to:
- Explain what a project does
- Develop a framework to deliver project visions and goals
- Set key performance indicators
- Identify and understand the cause & effect nature of the work
- Serve as a reference tool for agreed quality assurance procedures
- Balance between agreed priorities and allocated resources to generate realistic impacts
- Inform funders and other stakeholders about your work
- Demonstrate how your work contributes to strategic outcomes at a national, international or a local level

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the session, participants will:
- be familiar with the concept of and the purpose of logic models
- recognise the different elements that make up a logic model
- have thought about how to connect the steps of the model to maximise research impact
- have worked through a logic model template and been introduced to case study examples

References
1. Evaluation Support Scotland, 2012. Measuring Outcomes Citizens Advice
2. McLaughlin, J.A. and Jordan, G.B., 1999. Logic models: a tool for telling your programs performance story. Evaluation and program planning, 22(1), pp.65-72.
3. Shakman, K. and Rodriguez, S.M., 2015. Logic Models for Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation: Workshop Toolkit. REL 2015-057. Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands.