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Remotely and collaboratively evaluating a campus-based therapy dog program during the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • Fletcher-Hildebrand, Shaneice
  • Williamson, Linzi
  • Lawson, Karen
  • Dell, Colleen

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the wellbeing of university students and adults in general, emphasizing the need for mental health programming that was compliant with physical distancing mandates. The present evaluation investigated mental health and social connection within the context of COVID-19 by remotely evaluating a virtual animal-assisted activity at the University of Saskatchewan – PAWS Your Stress. The purpose of this article is to outline our evaluation methods and findings, while calling specific attention to the collaborative strategies that were implemented within a remote, time-sensitive context. The evaluation findings revealed that remote animal-assisted programming can facilitate connections with humans and animals, and promote multiple mental health benefits, despite the lack of physical interaction with the animals. Our lessons learned indicate that remote program logic modelling workshops are feasible when suited to audience demographics. Further, our experience suggests that the Most Significant Change technique (a qualitative, participatory, storytelling method that elicits outcome data) can be useful in time-restricted evaluations, and the necessity of central steps in the process may vary depending on evaluation goals. This project has implications for future evaluation work, by demonstrating the effective use of remote methods that allowed for successful stakeholder collaboration.

Suggested Citation

  • Fletcher-Hildebrand, Shaneice & Williamson, Linzi & Lawson, Karen & Dell, Colleen, 2023. "Remotely and collaboratively evaluating a campus-based therapy dog program during the COVID-19 pandemic," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:98:y:2023:i:c:s0149718923000162
    DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102239
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Limato, Ralalicia & Ahmed, Rukhsana & Magdalena, Amelia & Nasir, Sudirman & Kotvojs, Fiona, 2018. "Use of most significant change (MSC) technique to evaluate health promotion training of maternal community health workers in Cianjur district, Indonesia," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 102-110.
    2. Cooksy, Leslie J. & Gill, Paige & Kelly, P. Adam, 2001. "The program logic model as an integrative framework for a multimethod evaluation," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 119-128, May.
    3. Eisenberg Daniel & Golberstein Ezra & Hunt Justin B, 2009. "Mental Health and Academic Success in College," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-37, September.
    4. Helitzer, Deborah & Hollis, Christine & Hernandez, Brisa Urquieta de & Sanders, Margaret & Roybal, Suzanne & Van Deusen, Ian, 2010. "Evaluation for community-based programs: The integration of logic models and factor analysis," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 223-233, August.
    5. Dasha Grajfoner & Emma Harte & Lauren M. Potter & Nicola McGuigan, 2017. "The Effect of Dog-Assisted Intervention on Student Well-Being, Mood, and Anxiety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-9, May.
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