Evaluation Partners

The STEM Center works with organizations both within and outside CSU. Our partners can come from a variety of places. They could represent universities, professional organizations, museums, government agencies, STEM education consortia, and more! The one thing our partners have in common is a dedication to and focus on STEM education and outreach.

Evaluation Roles

Depending on the organization for which we provide an evaluation, the STEM Center staff may serve in a variety of roles:

• External Evaluator: Provide evaluation for an organization outside of CSU. Some funding agencies require this for certain programs.
• Independent Evaluator: Provide evaluation for a unit within CSU but on a project for which the STEM Center has no contribution outside the evaluation. Funding agencies usually allow this on many of their program types.
• Internal Evaluator: Provide evaluation for a project (either within or outside CSU) for which the STEM Center has made a substantive contribution outside of evaluation (e.g., program development). Funding agencies usually allow this when coupled with an external or independent evaluator. This is also appropriate for smaller scale or pilot projects.

Evaluation Types

The CSU STEM Center staff develop and implement evaluations tailored to meet your specific needs at any project stage. Different roles we may take on include the following or any combination of the following:

• Front-End Evaluation: Gauge the interests and preferences of possible participants or identify potential barriers to address during project development
• Logic Model Development: Create a visual model of a program’s goals, components, and related outcomes
• Formative Evaluation: Provide feedback about an intervention as it is being developed or implemented
• Process Evaluation: Give oversight concerning processes and structure in complex projects
• Summative Evaluation: Assess the impact of an intervention at the end of a project or near the end of a project

Evaluation Methods

STEM Center evaluations include the use the of both rich, qualitative methods (such as descriptions of program activities) and varied quantitative methods as appropriate to each project. If program impact is to be assessed, we also develop and implement experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation designs. Examples of data that may be collected during the course of an evaluation include observations, individual and group interviews, surveys, logs and journals, artifacts, and tests/assessments. Our evaluations are developed using current evaluation frameworks documented in the evaluation literature.

STEM Research and Education Expertise

CSU STEM evaluators have experience in both science research and STEM education, allowing us to serve as advisors on project development while maintaining enough distance to provide objective feedback within the evaluations themselves. Part of this process includes listening to your needs, offering alternative perspectives, directing you toward key literature, and encouraging a collaborative relationship.