Summer 2026 SOWK 588 Week 01b - Foundations of Advanced Policy Practice - Prospective Analysis and Defining the Problem

A presentation at Heritage University in May 2026 by Jacob Campbell and is tagged with Heritage University, MSW Program, SOWK 588

A presentation slide titled 'Foundations of Advanced Policy Practice' describes prospective analysis. Contains text: 'Prospective analysis is a systematic examination of possible future policy options,' and credits Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., Heritage University, Summer 2026, SOWK 588 Week 01b.

Text in large, bold font states: 'Yakmumani Tiicham (The land of the Yakama People).' Below, it acknowledges the land of the 14 Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation, expressing gratitude. At the bottom, 'Land Acknowledgement' is noted.

Slide titled 'Plan for Week 01' features a white background on the left with 'Agenda' points: 'Course implementation discussion and housekeeping' and 'Practice with the process of prospective policy analysis.' The right side, in pink, lists the 'Learning Objectives': 'Describe and apply the sequential approach to policy analysis in classical models of prospective policy analysis.'

Text on the left outlines hybrid format expectations, emphasizing participation, professionalism with cameras on, and proactive communication. On the right, a blurry laptop screen suggests a virtual meeting, surrounded by green leaves.

An image shows a document labeled 'Heritage University' detailing a syllabus with information like instructor's name and contact details. Beside it, text reads: 'Questions About Class, Syllabus, or Assignments'.

A smartphone screen displays an audiobook titled 'Introduction to Policy Analysis.' Next to it, text states: 'Deep Dive: Linquiti (2022),' 'Generated by Google Notebook LM,' 'Doesn't Replace Reading,' and 'Overly sensational.'

The image is a schedule for 'Tentative Plan for Last Class Session' on July 11th, 2026, at Toppenish Campus. Activities include program evaluation, agency presentations, potluck, headshots, focus group, and pinning celebration. Agency presentations seek to fill ten 15-minute slots with hiring agencies in the Valley and Tri-Cities area.

Two side-by-side graduation invitations in English and Spanish for the 2026 ceremony at Heritage University, Toppenish, WA. They display campus photos and event details: July 11 at Patricia Wade Temple.

A slide displays text titled 'Steps in Prospective Policy Analysis.' It lists six steps: 1) Characterize the Policy Problem, 2) Specify Policy Alternatives, 3) Identify Evaluation Criteria, 4) Create a Criteria-Alternatives Matrix and Predict Performance of Alternatives, 5) Analyze Trade-offs Across Alternatives, 6) Communicate Results. There is an abstract yellow shape with purple circular accents in the bottom left corner.

A presentation slide shows a Google Doc titled 'Practice with Steps in Prospective Policy Analysis' listing policy analysis steps. Tabs for groups are visible. Text mentions a Google Doc link in Myheritage for further details.

The image displays text reading: 'Small Group Step 0,' instructing small groups of 3 or 4 to identify members and choose a social problem for policy analysis, following Linquiti’s steps.

Three icons represent concepts with accompanying text. The first is a globe with a bandage, labeled 'As-is Condition: What does it look like now.' The second is a plain globe, labeled 'To-be Condition: What it should or ought to look like.' The third is a heart, labeled 'Five Whys and Why That: Getting to what is the underlying problem.' Below, text reads 'Characterize the Policy Problem' (Linguiti, 2022).

The slide presents guidelines for characterizing a policy problem, describing causes, articulating core problems, and identifying consequences concisely. It includes a citation: (Linquiti, 2022, p. 18).

Text in bold and gradient colors reads, 'Small Group Step 1'. Below, smaller black text states, 'Characterize the Policy Problem.' The background is plain white.

The image shows a presentation slide. Left text: 'Specify Policy Alternatives that Might Mitigate the Problem.' Right bullet points: 'Actionable, Described in detail, Matched to the problem and context, Described, not evaluated, Not a dummy alternative' (Linqvit, 2022).

Text on a slide reads: 'Small Group Step 2: Specify Policy Alternatives that Might Mitigate the Problem.' The background is plain white, emphasizing the text.

A presentation slide displays a 'Pros vs Cons' chart and text titled 'Identify Criteria for Evaluating Alternatives.' Bulleted points include Efficacy, Cost, Equity, and Administrability, alongside a note: 'Also consider unintended consequences.'

Text on a white background reads: 'Small Group Step 3: Identify Criteria for Evaluating Alternatives.' The slide is part of a presentation.

A table on the right lists four policy options and three evaluation criteria, arranged in a matrix format. The left side has text: 'Create a Criteria-Alternatives Matrix and Predict the Performance of Each Alternative.'

The image features a quote emphasizing the Criteria-Alternatives Matrix's importance in policy analysis. It mentions its role in organizing policy debates. Source: Linquiti, 2022, p. 29.

Text on a presentation slide reads, 'Small Group Step 4: Create a Criteria-Alternatives Matrix and Predict the Performance of Each Alternative.' The background is plain white.

A white puzzle piece labeled 'Give' fits into a black circle. Adjacent text reads: 'Make The Trade-Offs Across Alternatives' with methods listed as: Cost-benefit analysis, Cost-effectiveness analysis, Multiattribute analysis, and Prose-based statement. Another black piece labeled 'Take' is below.

Text 'Small Group Step 5: Make The Trade-Offs Across Alternatives' is displayed in a gradient color on a plain white background, indicating a presentation slide.

Text on a white slide reads, 'Small Group Step 6' in blue and purple, and 'Communicate the Results' in black below.

Dr. Jacob Campbell

24 slides

Description

Welcome to the start of SOWK 588, Advanced Policy Practice. Week one has a synchronous class session on Saturday (05/30/26). This week, we are starting our exploration of policy analysis by reflecting on previous policy analyses you have done. In the forums, you can write a definition of a problem, discuss current events and the impact of poverty, and further consider policy analysis. In class, we will continue to explore prospective policy analysis, applying it’s steps through a group process. I have a video that discusses/reviews the course syllabus and the key assignments for this class. During the in-class session, the agenda will be as follows:

Course implementation discussion and housekeeping
Practice with the process of prospective policy analysis

Learning Objectives this week include:

Understand the significant assignments and general flow of this class
Define a policy problem as a gap between a descriptive, as-is, condition and a normative, to-be, condition.
Construct a succinct, evidence-informed problem definition for social policy
Synthesize insights from contemporary data and events to reflect on evolving issues in policy practice
Describe and apply the sequential approach to policy analysis in classical models of prospective policy analysis.