Chapter 11 Evaluation
11.0.0.0.1 Each ATE project is required to have an evaluation component to assess its quality and effectiveness. Evaluation of ATE and other NSF-funded projects is intended to serve two distinct purposes: (1) Produce information that can be used to improve a project as it is being implemented and (2) Determine and document a project’s achievements (Frechtling, 2010).
11.0.0.0.2 ATE PIs were asked about their evaluators and interactions with them, as well as their projects’ use and dissemination of evaluation results.
11.1 Evaluation
11.1.0.1 Ninety-one percent of ATE projects engaged an evaluator.
Two hundred eighty-six ATE projects had evaluators in 2020. Of the Twenty-seven PIs who said they did not have evaluators, 12 were in their first year of funding. Of the 286 projects with evaluators, 86% reported having an external evaluator, with 9% having both an internal and external evaluator and 5% having only an internal evaluator.
Thirty-seven percent of PIs reported that they interacted with their evaluators continually (at least once a week) or often (two or three times a month), while 40% interacted with their evaluators occasionally (more often than quarterly) and 18% did so infrequently or rarely (once a quarter or less).
11.1.0.1.1 Almost half of ATE projects received both oral and written evaluation reports.
Figure 11.1: Types of evaluation report received by ATE projects (n=285)
Of the 243 PIs who received evaluation reports, 72% indicated their project’s evaluation caused them to make a change in implementing their project, and 40% indicated that the evaluation caused them to make a change in their project’s goals, objectives, or target audience.
