Conversations with Friends of Evaluation: Perspectives on Evaluation to Support Diverse Student Populations

Author(s)

• 

  Julia Siwierka, PhD

  Director of Research and Evaluation Services
  The Rucks Group, United States

Presenter(s)

• GM

  Grayson McKeown, M.Ed.

  Coordinator for Evaluation and Reporting
  Columbus State Community College
  Columbus, Ohio, United States
• 

  Morakinyo Kuti, PhD

  VP, Research & Economic Development and 1890 Land-Grant Programs
  Central State University
  Wilberforce, Ohio, United States

Chair(s)

• 

  Kathleen Dean, PhD

  Senior Research and Evaluation Associate
  The Rucks Group, United States

Facilitator(s)

• LR

  Lana Rucks, Ph.D.

  Principal Consultant
  The Rucks Group, United States

Location: Room 301

Abstract Information: Increasing the participation of and equitable outcomes for marginalized and minority students in STEM education and employment requires new or unique approaches to recruiting, retaining, and graduating students. This session will showcase two institutions in Ohio – Central State University (CSU; Wilberforce, OH) and Columbus State Community Colleges (CSCC; Columbus, OH)—that have successfully developed and implemented innovative STEM programs to support diverse and marginalized students. Presenters will engage in a dialogue to discuss the design of these programs and how key data points from the evaluations have informed program improvement to continue better supporting positive student outcomes. As institutional leaders, the presenters will also share how they view the importance of evaluation from their roles within their institutions not only as project team members, but also evaluation liaisons, advocates, and friends.

Relevance Statement: Evaluating STEM educational programs for diverse postsecondary students is multi-faceted and highly collaborative. Given the documented disparities in marginalized and minority student populations (i.e., gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age) within STEM education, innovative methods must be tested and improved upon to reduce these gaps. Administrators and staff from two Ohio institutions of higher education will participate in this panel to highlight the unique ways that they have approached this challenge. One institution is Columbus State Community College (CSCC), which has an extensive history of receiving funding from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program. Two specific fields in which CSCC has received notable recognition for the quality of education are advanced manufacturing and information technology. Multiple NSF ATE-awarded grants have focused on increasing educational pathways through work-based learning for diverse students in these industries. CSCC has learned much about creating successful recruitment strategies, developing activities to retain and train students, and engaging employers to ensure more equitable employment outcomes. Another highlighted institution is Central State University (CSU), an HBCU and 1890 Land-Grant Institution. CSU received a grant through the Department of Education’s Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (DoE MSEIP) to create holistic supports for minority students in STEM degrees. The STEM Success Center academic interventions and internship supports are particularly effective and have significantly boosted academic success in gateway courses, preparing students for STEM employment. Attendees will learn about promising approaches to recruiting, retaining, and graduating diverse STEM students in educational and experiential learning programs. Presenters will also delve into some of the challenges experienced in developing and implementing such programs to ensure equitable student outcomes. Further, attendees will learn how individuals within higher education view and value evaluation to better understand ways in which evaluators might be able to engage with organizational and institutional leaders to set the groundwork for evaluation capacity building and evaluative thinking beyond a funded project. Learning from these leaders will prepare attendees to better position the importance of evaluation when initiating partnerships and communicating evaluation findings to decision-makers. The 2023 conference theme prompts us to bring storytelling into evaluation. The presenters will discuss how evaluation has effectively told the story of their projects to their teams, institutional decision-makers, funding agencies, other faculty, and ultimately the communities they serve. They will also share how their students’ experiences and stories have impacted changes to their programs. The presenters comprise members of the external evaluation team at The Rucks Group, LLC, CSCC’s Coordinator for Evaluation and Reporting, and CSU’s Associate Provost for Research, Director of the 1890 Land Grant Programs, and Interim Dean of the John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture.

Presentations:

• 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM ET

  Conversations with Friends of Evaluation: a Coordinator's Perspective on the Field's Role to Support Diverse Student Populations
  

  Presenter: Grayson McKeown, M.Ed. – Columbus State Community College
• 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM ET

  Conversations with Friends of Evaluation: a Program Manager's Perspective on the Field's Role to Support Diverse Student Populations
  

  Facilitator: Lana Rucks, Ph.D. – The Rucks Group
• 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM ET

  Conversations with Friends of Evaluation: an Associate Provost of Research's Perspective on the Field's Role to Support Diverse Student Populations
  

  Presenter: Morakinyo Kuti, PhD – Central State University
• 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM ET

  Conversations with Friends of Evaluation: an Evaluator's Perspective on the Field's Role to Support Diverse Student Populations
  

  Presenter: Kathleen Dean, PhD – The Rucks Group