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Session Title: Are We There Yet? How Internal & External Evaluation Work Together to Assess Progress
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Panel Session 319 to be held in Capistrano B on Thursday, Nov 3, 11:40 AM to 12:25 PM
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Sponsored by the Internal Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Kathleen Tinworth, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, kathleen.tinworth@dmns.org
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| Discussant(s):
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| Kathleen Tinworth, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, kathleen.tinworth@dmns.org
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| Abstract:
The internal and external evaluator of a geographically dispersed national organization will discuss the ways they ensure equal valuing of internal and external findings. Panelists will discuss tools they use to measure the organization's progress in achieving its goal of gender equity in STEM education and workforce. They will also explain the strategic planning and negotiation necessary to deliver a unified message to the organization's leadership and staff to help stakeholders gauge progress toward achievement of the organization's social-justice mission. This intermingling and merging of perspectives is critical for the organization's program improvement and reporting needs. In addition, sharing data and perspectives enables the organization to better embrace the multiplicity of factors that contribute to the success of a social movement. Panelists will encourage discussion with audience members about internal/external evaluation cooperation as well as the complexity of evaluating a social-justice movement.
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The External Side of Evaluating Progress
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| Elizabeth Litzler, University of Washington, elitzler@u.washington.edu
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Dr. Litzler has been working as the external evaluator for the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) since a year after the organization's founding. The organization's strategies are ever-changing, and the evaluation must be nimble in response. NCWIT has multiple funders, target audiences and objectives, thus the external evaluation uses short, medium and long term measures, taking advantage of publicly available education data, participant observation, Web scans, key informant interviews, and an annual members survey. The potential for higher impact of the external evaluation findings grew when the internal evaluator was hired four years after the external evaluation had begun. This panelist will briefly discuss the external evaluation's overall strategy, methodologies, and how NCWIT's internal evaluation efforts are incorporated into her approach.
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The Internal Side of Evaluating Progress
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| Wendy DuBow, National Center for Women & Information Technology, wendy.dubow@colorado.edu
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The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) internal evaluator will briefly describe methods used to measure program and outreach impact. Her tactics involve multiple methods - random sample, self-selected sample, snowball and convenience sample surveys, telephone and in-person individual and group interviews, focus groups, and Website analysis. She also will describe the types of negotiations she and the external evaluator have engaged in, and together, they will elaborate on the larger considerations of how to evaluate a complex social justice movement. Dr. DuBow was hired as the first internal evaluator when the organization was five years old and the external evaluator had already been involved for four years. Realizing the potential impact of two voices pushing evaluation data, they have worked together to create higher-impact evaluations.
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