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Evaluators' Breakout II: EVALUATING THE EVALUATOR. 2006 ANNUAL MEETING Arlington, Virginia. 10:00 - 11:15 am Friday, January 13, 2006. INDUSTRY / UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTERS PROGRAM. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. EVALUATING THE EVALUATOR.
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Evaluators' Breakout II: EVALUATING THE EVALUATOR 2006 ANNUAL MEETINGArlington, Virginia 10:00 - 11:15 am Friday, January 13, 2006 INDUSTRY / UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTERS PROGRAM NATIONALSCIENCE FOUNDATION
EVALUATING THE EVALUATOR ERIC SUNDSTROMNSF IUCRC EvaluatorUniversity of Tennessee DENIS GRAYNSF IUCRC Evaluation ProgramNorth Carolina State University &
Why This Session? • Questions from Center Directors at January, 2005, IUCRC meeting, and... • After all, we're Evaluators, it only figures that we'd eventually look at evaluating what we do...
Goals for Today • Explore the problem of evaluating IUCRC Evaluators • Frame the problem, not attempt to propose a solution • Address 3 questions: 1) Who evaluates Evaluators? 2) Based on what? 3) Evaluate how? • Identify next steps
1. Who evaluates IUCRC Evaluators? • Evaluators ultimately report to NSF IUCRC Program Manager, Alex Schwarzkopf. • Evaluators also serve multiple customer-groups: - IUCRC Evaluation Program at NCSU (Denis) - Center Director & Site Co-Directors - Center Operations Managers / Administrators - Industry Member Representatives - Center Scientists & Graduate Students - Host University Administrators - Fellow IUCRC Evaluators
Clarifying who evaluates IUCRC Evaluators: • What purposes does the IUCRC evaluation effort serve? • Who is the primary customer for the IUCRC evaluation?
2. Evaluate based on what? NSF and other counterparts can evaluate an IUCRC Evaluator's performance based on: • How the Evaluator performs the role: - Completeness of data-collection & reporting - Timeliness of data-collection, analysis, reporting - Quality of evaluation reports - Etc. • What the Evaluator role entails – evaluation Protocol: - Focus & methods of data-collection - Design & validity of questionnaires, other measures - Timing of data-collection, analysis, reporting - Structure & content of evaluation reports - Etc.
Role of Evaluator - Main Elements • Program evaluation: Data-collection, analysis, reporting • Liaison & linkage: Communication with constituencies • Other duties, adopted or negotiated
Role of NSF IUCRC Evaluator: Current Protocol • Program evaluation - Data-collection, analysis, reports: - Annual Evaluator's Report - Industry & FacultyQuestionnaires: Collect, analyze, report - LIFE Forms: Manage distributing, transcribing, IAB review - Exit interviews with Industry Member representatives • Liaison & linkage - Communication with constituencies: - Center Industrial Advisory Board meetings, Spring & Fall - Annual NSF IUCRC Program meeting, January - Annual NSF IUCRC Evaluators' meeting, June • Other duties, adopted or negotiated: - Consultant / Coach - Meeting Facilitator / Leader - Mediator, etc.
How well does the evaluation protocol meet the needs of the “customer” (NSF)? • How important and useful for the customer is the information collected via the protocol? • Evaluator Report • Responses to Industry & Faculty Questionnaires • LIFE forms • Exit interviews • What factors affect the usefulness of the information? • Specific information collected • Burden of data collection • Sources of the information • Timeliness of feedback • How could the value of the information be enhanced?
3. Evaluate how? Evaluation of Evaluators incorporates content – basis or questions for evaluation – and a process or procedure. • Content: - Is the Evaluator doing the right job? (correct protocol) - How well is the Evaluator doing that job? (following protocol) • Process:Open question - Must support & align with the NSF IUCRC Program - Involves multiple counterparts - Other features?
Next Steps • Review and evaluate the current Evaluator protocol • Consider re-designing the protocol • Explore options for revising the current role • Consider having Evaluators do self-evaluation via an Evaluator Practices Questionnaire • Others?
What could be done to improve the protocol? • Make evaluation tools shorter, more efficient and focused • Get higher response rates & make feedback to director quicker • Industry P/O Industry feedback tool (one pager) • Provide LIFE form analysis: • Faculty P/O Faculty feedback; switch to students after year 5 • Create alternative tools: focus group guides • Continue to encourage and support periodic research projects that would be implemented program-wide
JUNE EVALUATOR MEETING June 14 - 16, 2006Holiday Inn Rosslyn / Key BridgeArlington, VA
Goal for Today: Identify Preferences for... • Prospective speaker(s) • Session topics • Task Forces
Prospective Speakers • MARIANN ("SAM") JELINEK - College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA. - Innovation, technology & organization; former Director of NSF's Innovation & Organizational Change Program. • DAVID ("DAVE") ROESSNER- SRI International, Arlington, VA. - Evaluation of Science & Technology; former NSF IUCRC Evaluator. • SCOTT SHANE - Case Western Reserve University - Innovation & Entrepreneurship; speaker at earlier IUCRC Evaluators' meeting. • BILL VALDEZ- Dept. of Energy, Washington DC, Director, Dept. of Planning & Analysis. - Founder, Washington Research Evaluation Network (WREN) consortium of R&D evaluators.
Session Topics at June Evaluator Meeting? • Evaluation of R&D for Innovation, Advancing Technology, ... • Report of 2005 Process / Outcome Results & Trend Analysis • Evaluator Research: Results from Current Projects; New Projects • What Constitutes Success for a NSF IUCRC? (...for a consortium?) • New (Fine-tuned? Upgraded? Redesigned?) Evaluator Protocol • Evaluator's Report: Guidelines for Analysis (+ Recommendations?) • LIFE Form Procedure: Current Practice & Variations (& next steps?) • Evaluator Practices Questionnaire: Draft, process (& 1st Results?) • IAB Meeting Structure: Theme & Variations • Others?
Proposed Evaluator Task Forces • Planning & Program for June Evaluator Meeting (Eric, Denis, ... & Kate Ryan) • Evaluator Protocol - Review & Update (Denis, David M., ... ) • Evaluator Research Projects & Agenda (Dave T., ...) • LIFE Form Practices - Current & Next (Otto, ... ) • Evaluator Practices Questionnaire & Process (Craig, Don, ... )