ATE Program Evaluation: Project level evaluation practices

Download: Doc_2006_Proj_Eval_Practices

This study analyzes project-level evaluation practices occurring in the Advanced Technological Education program of the National Science Foundation. Of special interest in this study were factors thought to affect the quality and utility of evaluations such as the cost of evaluations, who engaged in evaluation planning, and the use of external evaluators. The ATE program requires project-level evaluations and provides guidelines regarding what evaluations can and should do. The report closes with a discussion of discrepancies between expectations and project level actions and the apparent strengths and weaknesses of project evaluations. Suggestions are offered on how to improve these evaluation practices.