MTS Summer Institute

Afternoon Scheduling

The afternoon schedules are heavily oriented toward informal instruction and learning activities. The informal instruction is intended to introduce participants to members of the Center, the work that Center researchers are doing, and give participants opportunities to see some of the practical issues embedded in evaluation. These instructional periods are typically labeled as chats to indicate the give-and-take nature of the sessions. The named presenters for chats will come prepared to provide a brief description on the named topic and then discuss that work with participants.

The first week much of the afternoon time is reserved for reading, use of the library, and study in preparation for daily instruction. Substantial time is reserved in the second week for development of team evaluation projects. These projects are to address topics identified by the experienced evaluators who will join the institute on June 14. The work conducted by the teams will be unique to a team. The teams may call upon Center staff for coaching/assistance and/or use other available Center resources to accomplish team project objectives.

During Week 3 each team will be called upon to present its products. Each team will be provided a one-hour block of time for presentation and discussion of team efforts and findings. Following the presentation each team will submit its formal (written) report of work and findings for inclusion as a work product of the Institute. [Note that on Wednesday, June 24, the morning/afternoon schedule is flip-flopped to enable a morning trip to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek.]