Assign a contact person for the intern.We ask that your project assign a primary contact person to handle the bulk of the communication with the intern. This may be the project director, principal investigator, or other project staff member if the PD and PI are unable to do it. We also ask that you indicate who the contact person is on an ATE Agreement of Participation form.
Send core project documents to The Evaluation Center and your cooperating intern before the orientation. We ask that you send basic documents such as the original NSF proposal, interim reports, and other significant documents to both the Center and the intern well before the orientation meeting in Kalamazoo. This will allow our staff and the interns ample time to become acquainted with your project and will enable the interns to enter the meeting with sufficient knowledge to collaborate with you on developing an evaluation work plan.
Attend the orientation meeting in Kalamazoo. This required meeting will provide a thorough introduction to the framework of the program and allow time for you to begin collaborating with the intern on the evaluation work plan. Travel costs, up to $1,000 for one person, will be covered for this meeting. Information about travel arrangements and the orientation schedule will be sent prior to the meeting.
Collaborate on the evaluation work plan. This will result in an agreement between your project and the intern as to the major evaluation tasks that will be completed and the time lines and methods for the intern to complete them. The plan will be reviewed and approved by MTS staff. Remember that with only 10 days (80 hours) to engage in evaluation work and needed travel, the intern will not be able to do an entire program evaluation.
Provide monthly feedback to Evaluation Center staff. Joan Farland, the internship coordinator, will contact you once a month to obtain an update on the status of the collaboration and to discuss any questions or concerns that you have. The feedback will generally consist of a brief e-mail message. Our goal is not to overburden you with requests for information about the intern's work, but to maintain regular contact and get your perspective on the collaboration. You may, of course, contact us at any time with questions.
Maintain necessary communication with the intern. The intern will likely need to travel to your project site to complete the evaluation work and to contact other project staff. We ask that you be accessible for his/her requests and respond in a timely manner. A site visit to the project by the mentor (from the MTS staff) and intern will be scheduled at the orientation.
Request reimbursement for travel expenses. Include original receipts. Joan Farland, internship coordinator, will handle all reimbursements for travel expenses incurred at the orientation in Kalamazoo. She can be contacted at the main Evaluation Center number, (269) 387-5895, and reached via e-mail at .
Complete the final project survey. At the end of the intern collaboration, a brief survey will be sent to you soliciting feedback on the intern program. The survey will ask about your opinions on the intern program, such as the performance of the intern and the usefulness of the intern program for your project.
