| Roundtable: What Role Should the Evaluator Take When a Project Is Off-Track? |
| Roundtable Presentation 328 to be held in MISSION A on Thursday, Nov 11, 3:35 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Evaluation Use TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Robert J Ruhf, Western Michigan University, robert.ruhf@wmich.edu |
| Mary Anne Sydlik, Western Michigan University, mary.sydlik@wmich.edu |
| Abstract: Science and Mathematics Program Improvement (SAMPI), an evaluation center within the Mallinson Institute for Science Education at Western Michigan University, has seen its share of programs that have veered from their original stated goals. Examples that will be discussed by presenters include: project staff cannot agree on a direction and become contentious with each other; project staff begin with grand and noble intentions but become increasingly disorganized due to poor planning or inexperience. Additional examples that will be discussed by presenters include: project staff do not like what was written in an evaluation report and attempt to control what evaluators write in future evaluation reports; project staff misinterpret and misuse small parts of an evaluation report to make the project look more successful than it really was. Finally, presenters will engage round table participants in discussions about ways that they and SAMPI have addressed these and similar issues. |