An innovative new evaluation unit in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is detailed. This unit, the Office of Service Delivery Assessment (SDA), regularly briefs the Secretary on the services delivered to clients at the local level. The process of the SDA is described and conclusions are offered. (Author/GK)

Characteristics of new information technologies have implications for their evaluation. The instability of most technologies, and their novelty for most users, calls into question the value of experimental summative studies. Their interactive character challenges the traditional formative paradigm. Case studies and field experiments can help to…

The consumer of a service is of primary importance when defining groups most concerned with program impact. Program effectiveness for the consumer may be increased through the use of certain guiding principles based on the extension of existing quality assurance and program evaluation methodologies. (Author/RL)

New media, such as electronic mail and word processing, are playing increasingly important roles in communication activities, especially in organizational settings. This article reviews the process by which new media are diffused, and describes some characteristics of new media that have implications for evaluation research. (Author/BW)