NAU Evaluation & Assessment

The NAU Evaluation & Assessment team (NAU Vice President of Research Office) focuses on strategies to measure the learning outcomes of students and teachers to inform and strengthen evidenced-based education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The team has played a key role in $17 million dollars of successfully funded grants. Federal and state agencies, as well as foundations, are more likely to support proposals with well-developed evaluation plans. Proposals that include qualified evaluators and robust evaluation methods communicate to program officers and review committees that a professionally-designed plan is in place for utilizing data to improve programs or projects (formative evaluation) as well as identifying credible and objective end-of-project findings (summative evaluation).

We offer:

• Program evaluation
• Education research
• Assessments
  • STEM programs, local, state, & national projects/programs
• Formal and informal education
  • Pre-K-12 students, higher education students, teachers, administrators, program coordinators, non-profit and informal organizations, and community members. Studies conducted by the CSTL employ a broad range of both quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research. This leads to better understanding of how STEM educational programs are working, which program activities are going well, what should be improved, and the overall program value and impact. We define research as in-depth inquiry into the learning processes and educational outcomes in order to generate new knowledge.

If you are considering a STEM-related grant which has an education or outreach component, please contact us to set up a consultation. The best time to plan an evaluation is while a grant or project proposal is in the early stages of development. We know, however, that deadlines can be tight, and we will do everything we can to work within your timelines.

Guiding Principles

We follow the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Guiding Principles for Evaluators: Systemic Inquiry, Competence, Integrity/Honesty, Respect for People, and Responsibilities for General and Public Welfare (2004). We also use the Program Evaluation Standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (Yarborough, Shulha, Hopson & Caruthers, 2011). 

Evaluation Framework

Simply put, evaluation determines the merit and worth of a project or program. As the W.K. Kellogg Foundation suggests, evaluation is a learning and management tool that can and should be used from the start of the design of program through determining the program’s impact—its value and worth for the time and money invested (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 2000).

The following framework provides a general overview of the process that our evaluators employ. As this model shows, our process typically follows an iterative framework of design-test-revise.

Logic Model

We apply the above framework by developing a logic model for every evaluation project. The logic model acts as a tool to guide the design, implementation, and adjustment of an evaluation plan as well as the project or program being evaluated (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 2000).