What is ATE evaluation coaching?
ATE evaluation coaching is a new service from EvaluATE for current and prospective members of the ATE community. An EvaluATE staff member or one of our affiliated evaluation coaches will provide one-on-one advice and feedback to strengthen ATE evaluation work. Through this process, we will help you apply proven evaluation practices and principles to your specific situation.
Who is eligible for ATE evaluation coaching?
Our coaching program is only available to those who currently work on an NSF ATE project or are planning on submitting a proposal to the NSF ATE program.
What will ATE evaluation coaching help with?
Our coaching program is intended to help with specific tasks and targeted questions. Coaches will not perform evaluation tasks for you. They will provide advice and feedback specific to your evaluation context. The best way to explain what our coaching can help with is to provide examples of the types of situations in which ATE evaluation coaching would and would not be a good way to get help:
ATE evaluation coaching can help with these kinds of things:
- Feedback to strengthen evaluation plans, logic models, survey instruments, data visualizations, presentations, and reports
- Advice on evaluation approaches, strategies for data analysis and interpretation, and how to communicate with evaluation stakeholders
ATE evaluation coaching is not the best way to get help for these kinds of things:
- Learning the basics of evaluation or data collection
- Resolving conflicts among different evaluation stakeholders
- Editing evaluation reports
How do coaches provide assistance?
Once a request for coaching is submitted:
- You will be paired with a coach with expertise in the area of your request.
- The coach will reach out via email to connect with you and ask any follow-up questions.
- They will either set up a time to discuss the issue at hand or begin to review any documentation included in the request. Coaching feedback will be shared within 2 weeks of the original request.
- Your coach will return feedback directly and set up a call to discuss any remaining questions.
- Everyone receiving evaluation coaching will receive a follow-up survey for evaluation purposes.
Are there any costs associated with this service?
No. ATE evaluation coaching is provided courtesy of EvaluATE and NSF, at no cost to you.
Who are the coaches?
Keith Sturges
Dr. Sturges has served as a program evaluator for 26 years, focusing much of his attention on programs aimed at adult professional learning and career transitions. Since 2009, he has served as president of Indikus Evaluation and Planning, where he is the technical director for evaluation projects funded by the US Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and several state education agencies. Recently, he led three large-scale external program evaluations of community and technical college initiatives that were designed to prepare adults in healthcare and manufacturing fields. Currently, he directs evaluations for NSF-funded rural STEM and ATE projects.
Lola Adedokun
Dr. Lola Adedokun is a program evaluator with 14 years of experience in the evaluation of the impact and overall effectiveness of education, outreach, and workforce development programs in various disciplines including STEM, agriculture, economics, and health services. She has served as internal and external evaluator for multiple STEM education programs, including those funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Institutes for Education Sciences. Dr. Adedokun’s work and publications in STEM education have employed advanced statistical methods (e.g., structural equation modeling) and qualitative methods to understand the processes and conditions under which STEM education interventions achieve their expected outcomes. From 2009-2015, she served as an evaluation specialist for Purdue University’s Discovery and Learning Research Center where she evaluated 16 P-20 STEM education programs. She currently works for the University of Kentucky as a senior evaluation specialist.
Amy Germuth
Dr. Amy A. Germuth is Founder / President of EvalWorks, an education evaluation firm located in Durham, NC. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Measurement and Evaluation from UNC Chapel Hill in 2003. Dr. Germuth has conducted multiple evaluations over the past 20 years at the national, state, and local levels, and for multiple foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pew Charitable Trust, and Orchard Foundation. She is an active member of the American Evaluation Association, having served as chair of the Data Visualization and Independent Consulting TIGs. She recently co-edited the New Directions for Evaluation edition on independent consulting.
How do I submit a request for coaching?
Apply today by completing the request form.
EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers 0802245, 1204683, 1600992, and 1841783. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.