We presented three sessions at the PI Conference.

Session 1: Getting Started Workshop Description (p. 5)

session handouts

Session 2: ATE Professional Development Evaluation (p. 18)

session handouts

Session 3: Evaluate: Evaluation Needs Assessment Breakfast Roundtable (p. 21)

session handouts

We presented two sessions at the AEA Conference.

Session 1: Identifying and Serving the Needs of Evaluators in a Federally Funded Program Context

session handouts

Session 2: Metaevaluation: Prescription and Practice

session handouts

Join Evaluate staff in our new office for refreshments and to learn about this exciting new endeavor, which includes opportunities for faculty and staff to engage with us through research, collaboration, and field experiences. You won't leave empty-handed—we have books, booklets, brochures, newsletters, and more to give away!

Developing Strong Evaluations for ATE Projects

This webinar workshop is oriented toward those preparing ATE proposals and seeking assistance in integrating evaluation into project work. The two-part workshop is scheduled for three hours, an hour and a half each on July 9 (Basics of Proposal Preparation) and July 10 (Designing for Useful, Feasible, Ethical, and Sound Evaluation). The workshop is being conducted by Evaluate at Western Michigan University in collaboration with The Saflund Institute and MATEC.

The recordings and slides are available for viewing, at http://www.matecnetworks.org/growth.php.

Please note that in order to view these resources, you will need to request an account or log in, then type "evaluate webinar" in the Keyword Search box.

Demonstrating Value for Technology Programs

Both educators and their business/industry stakeholders will benefit from this session, which will focus on the key role evaluation plays in designing grant proposals and implementing funded grants. The session will provide techniques on writing compelling project summaries and statements of intellectual merit as well as provide tips and practice on how to create goals and objectives using "SMART" criteria.The session concludes with useful methods to gather and present evidence of project success through data collection and evaluation.

Peter Saflund, of The Saflund Institute, and the Evaluate team will present.

View the slides

High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC)

Room change! We will be meeting in Q Lounge, on the first floor of the Q Building.

Developing Evidenced-Based Assessment Processes: Keep it Simple

Cost: $150 for those associated with an ATE grant (made possible through the support of NSF); $300 for those not associated with an ATE grant

Register online or print a registration form and mail your payment.

Focused on the needs of high school and community college STEM educators, this workshop focuses on how measures of student progress can be made more consistent and useful for program evaluation purposes. Participants will leave the workshop able to . . .

• identify key elements of a functional assessment plan.
• clarify the similarities and differences between course and program assessment.
• put learning outcomes to work by developing measurable performance criteria.
• develop scoring rubrics to support the evaluation of student learning.
• understand the pros and cons of various data collection methods.
• create clear and concise reports on assessment processes and results.

Gloria Rogers, the 2008 Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education, will present. Gloria Rogers provides workshops, webinars, seminars, and institutes for the development of continuous quality improvement of educational programs and institutional effectiveness related to strategic planning. She has been an external evaluator for major STEM initiatives and has developed an interactive CD ROM, “Assessment Planning Flowchart” to aid programs in their program assessment plan development.

Workshop A: Getting Started
Wednesday October 21 | 1-5PM Also see us at the Showcase from 7-10PM!

Birds of a Feather: Learning and Evaluation
Thursday October 22 | 2:45-5PM

  Read the report on this session

Breakfast Roundtable 5: Evaluation Challenges and Solutions
Friday October 23 | 7:45-8:45AM

ATE PI Conference Program

Assessing Evaluation Needs: Multiple Methods and Implications for Practice
Friday November 15 | 9:15-10:45PM  

Metaevaluation and the Program Evaluation Standards
Saturday November 16 | 10:55-11:40AM

AEA Conference program

Congratulations on your new ATE grant! It's time to formalize and implement your evaluation plans. This webinar is aimed at helping new grantees and their evaluators get their evaluation work off to a good start. Join us on Wednesday November 18, from 1 - 2:30 PM (ET). Register for an informative and interactive 90 minutes. The webinar is free of charge.

Looking to formalize your evaluator-client relationship with a contract? We will share materials that can help shape a clear agreement.

Thinking about your evaluation budget? We'll offer guidelines and tips for maximizing evaluation cost effectiveness.

Still need an evaluator? We'll show you how to access directories of evaluators, offer guidelines for issuing an RFP for evaluation services, and suggest questions you should ask a potential evaluator.

How, exactly, is evaluation done? This webinar's focus in on logic models, success indicators, and standards of performance – the blueprints for an evaluation.

A logic model maps out a project's activities and intended outcomes and impacts. Logic models facilitate the identification of success indicators (measurable information about key aspects of your project) and performance standards (what counts as “acceptable” or “excellent” performance, for example). You’ll leave the webinar with a better understanding of how to create and use these  tools to generate a robust and useful evaluation.  

We’ll also discuss why it’s important to go beyond thinking
about evaluation simply in terms of determining whether project
goals were met to a broader assessment of actual impact.

Register to learn how to improve your evaluation plan.

Presented by Joellen Killion, National Staff Development Council

UPDATE! Lodging/travel costs up to $300 will be reimbursed for participants who must travel to attend this workshop. 

*Read Joellen's note to participants.

Register online or print and mail a registration form.

Focused on the needs of high school and community college STEM educators, this workshop focuses on how measures of student progress can be make more consistent and useful for program evaluation purposes.

Based on her well-known book, Assessing Impact, Joellen Killion will provide guidance and practical resources for evaluating professional development impact. Her eight-step framework is grounded in three key assumptions: professional development is data-driven, research-based, and well-defined; those in charge of the professional development have the capacity to implement the learning and the evaluation; and key stakeholders intend to use the evaluation results to make decisions about the program.While intended to serve ATE evaluation efforts, the workshop is open to broad participation.

Cost:

$295 for those with an ATE grant number

$245 for those in the Maricopa Community Colleges

$695 for those not affiliated with ATE or Maricopa

This webinar is conducted by MATEC Networks, featuring Evaluate’s Peggie Weeks.

Student impact is a crucial indicator that is often overlooked or poorly reported. However, when accurately measured, these results can further shape program development by identifying areas of weakness and providing evidence of student success. Gain expert insight in the field of evaluation.

Register for this 90-minute webinar.

Evaluation Data:  So You Need to do a Survey….

Who should you send your survey to?  How many people?  How can you locate them? What’s a good response rate and how can you get one?  Are there other ways to find out what you need to know?  This free webinar will focus on survey implementation, addressing these frequently asked questions.
 
Surveys can be a simple and effective data collection tool.  But getting the information you need from the right people can be tricky.  You'll leave the webinar with a better understanding of how to:

●    Identify your survey sample
●    Improve response rates
●    Complement survey data with institutional data
●    Track students beyond program completion

Register for the free 90-minute webinar. 

Too often, evaluation reports serve little purpose beyond collecting dust on a PI's shelf. Thoughtful, intentional planning for making use of evaluation findings can help you get more bang for your buck.

In this webinar, the Evalua|t|e team will share strategies to help you increase the impact of your evaluation findings so they can be better used for program improvement.

Evaluators, you’ll leave the webinar with strategies to make your evaluations more accessible and easier to understand.

PIs and project staff, you’ll see how the evaluation reports you receive can and should do more than take up space on your desk (or desktop).  

Register here for this free, 90-minute webinar.

In this free, 90-minute webinar, participants will learn how to make evaluation a strong component of their ATE proposals. Staff from the ATE Evaluation Resource Center will provide guidance about how to focus an ATE evaluation, develop a plan for data collection and analysis, describe the evaluation in a proposal, and work with an evaluator.

The webinar will feature NSF-ATE program officer Linnea Fletcher, who will provide NSF’s perspective on these topics, Gordon Snyder and Karl Kapp, a veteran ATE PI-evaluator team, will also join the webinar, talking about their successful experiences working together on funded ATE proposals.

Participants will leave the webinar with the knowledge and tools and they need to

• Define the purpose of the evaluation and how the results will be used
• Write clear and useful evaluation questions tied to the project’s intended outcomes
• Be responsive to NSF’s expectations for ATE evaluations
• Systematically identify question- and context-appropriate data collection methods and information sources
• Locate data collection instruments
• Create a feedback loop so project staff can use evaluation results to improve their efforts
• Find competent evaluators and budget for their work

Register here.