Evaluation for Learning (EFL) group

What We Do

Our Approach

The EFL team is housed in the Learning Research & Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh and is partnered with the Broadening Engagement in STEM Center and the Learning Sciences & Emergent Technologies Hub.

The Evaluation for Learning team takes its name seriously-our work is intended to support the learning of the people and organizations with whom we work. In our practice, we focus on understanding the decision needs of the leaders and practitioners and then use a variety of evaluation and social science research methodologies to provide the most meaningful insights possible to inform those decisions. We use state-of-the art analytic and visualization approaches to understand and communicate meaningful findings that improve understanding and provide direction for leaders to act.

The EFL works with local and national organizations to infuse field knowledge into program design, document program design and implementation, evaluate implementation quality and/or impact, and conduct strategic assessments of a wide variety of educational programs and reform efforts.

  • Methodologically eclectic - the decision needs and evaluation questions drive the methodologies employed
  • Robust toolbox - we use human-centered design approaches, curriculum design, assessment, improvement science, and a deep knowledge of the research based in a variety of education domains
  • Interdisciplinary - housed at the Learning Research and Development Center, our team is deeply connected with and knowledgeable about leading-edge educational innovations
  • Customization - we design for the need rather than apply a proscribed evaluation model or approach

 

Our Impact Areas

PK-12 Schools

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Partnering with PK-12 schools to help practitioners and decision-makers use evidence to answer key questions that drive educational improvement efforts

Postsecondary Education

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Partnering with postsecondary schools and scholarship programs to work towards and understand success in and equitable access to postsecondary education

Non-profit Education Organizations

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Partnering with education organizations like OST programs, Networked Improvement Communities, and other education researchers to work towards continuous improvement and the identification of problems of practice

Field-building

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Contributing to the education and evaluation fields through professional network presentations and journal publications

Expertise in Research and Evaluation

  • Needs assessment
  • Strategic planning
  • Human-centered design
  • Evaluability assessment
  • Logic model and theory of action
  • Descriptive research
  • Decision-oriented educational research (Bickel and Cooley 1985)
  • Various evaluation models: utilization-focused, developmental, participatory, implementation, impact
  • Building infrastructure for sustained program data use
  • Qualitative methods (for example: observations, interviews, focus groups, case studies, literature reviews)
  • Quantitative methods (for example: descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, means testing, social network analysis)
  • Causal inference
  • Federal training grant evaluation - NSF (S-STEM, REU, NRT, IGE)