{"id":40,"date":"2020-01-09T08:45:35","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T13:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/research\/?p=40"},"modified":"2020-01-09T11:44:04","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T16:44:04","slug":"center-for-program-evaluation-celebrates-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/research\/2020\/01\/09\/center-for-program-evaluation-celebrates-five-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Center for Program Evaluation Celebrates Five Years of Improving Institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Co-directors of the Center for Program Evaluation, Jason Rydberg (left) and Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEducational research and evaluation is applicable to all fields,\u201d says Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier<\/a>, associate professor of education and co-director of the Center for Program Evaluation (CPE)<\/a> at UMass Lowell. Reflecting on the last half-decade of progress at CPE\u2019s recent 5-year anniversary celebration, Lohmeier recounted the extensive interdisciplinary work the center has completed with at least 50 faculty members representing all six colleges on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since becoming an official research seed center<\/a> in 2013, the Center for Program Evaluation has supported not only the university but also the regional community in improving programs and services. From its project work on 24 grants and contracts representing more than $900,000 in funding to completing 57 evaluation reports, the CPE has evaluated programs for an array of institutions including higher education, K-12 education, and government agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Program evaluation is critical to education and any organization seeking to strengthen the quality of its programs. Evaluation offers a close examination, in a systematic and structured approach, of program effectiveness in practice. With an inquiry-based, data-driven method, structural, programmatic and policy changes are made to improve outcomes, a reality which the CPE has proudly seen and influenced among many of its partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Center for Program Evaluation staff, students, and supporters from left to right: Siffat Sharmin, Graduate Research Assistant; Bangsil Oh, Post-Doc Researcher; Shanna Rose Thompson, Center for Program Evaluation Manager; Sarah Elizabeth McDermott, Undergraduate Research Assistant; and Stacy Penna, NVivo Community Director, QSR International (Americas) Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As program evaluation becomes more widely adopted and with increases in demand, the Center for Program Evaluation affords its students hands-on, experiential training with the opportunity to work on real projects. Over the years, the CPE has employed a total of 27 graduate, undergraduate and even high school students. Truly interdisciplinary in nature, these students come from a variety of majors including education, global studies, criminal justice, psychology, history, chemistry and engineering. With real-world experience in hand, 10 of these students have earned a PhD or EdD, many have contributed to the more than 50 conference presentations by CPE, and five students have won an award at the annual Student Research and Community Engagement Symposium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to training students, the Center for Program Evaluation offers monthly brown bags and interdisciplinary workshops<\/a> to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a holistic approach to program evaluation at this center. Not only do they practice program evaluation, but they also train student and faculty researchers and they focus heavily on evaluation research. The uniqueness of this center is that all three of those work in coordination, which puts them in a position to take a national leadership role,\u201d says Anne Maglia<\/a>, associate vice chancellor for research at UMass Lowell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While encouraged by the center\u2019s accomplishments throughout\nthe years, Jason Rydberg<\/a>,\nthe newly appointed co-director of the Center for Program Evaluation and assistant\nprofessor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies, is enthusiastic about\nthe next five years. With eyes set on becoming a full research center, creating\nan advisory board, enhancing future workshops, and continuing to contribute\nimpactful research and theory to the field, the Center for Program Evaluation\nis rapidly growing and improving alongside the partners it supports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n