Projects

The Evaluation Center is providing valued services to the following projects.

Past projects

CDC- WMU Evaluation Center Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignment

Sponsor: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Principal Investigator: Lori A. Wingate
June 2018 to March 2020

Through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignment, Evaluation Center Director of Research Lori Wingate is providing program evaluation guidance and feedback to the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 

Community Utilization of Evidence-Based Program Registers in Community Health

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health- National Institutes on Drug Abuse
Principal Investigator: Stephen Magura
August 2017 to March 2020

To determine the types and degrees of impact of evidence-based program registers (EBPRs) in behavioral healthcare on the effective dissemination and utilization of evidence-based programs and practices.

1. Study the documented users of selected EBPRs.

2. Study the mandates for implementing evidence-based programs issued by federal and state funding agencies in behavioral healthcare,

3. Study key stakeholders of the registers (i.e., program developers in public and private sector agencies).

 

EvaluATE: The ATE Evaluation Resource Center

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Principal Investigator: Lyssa Wilson Becho; Emma Leeburg, co-principal investigator, Lori Wingate co-principal investigator;  and Arlen Gullickson

July 2008 to August 2021

EvaluATE promotes the goals of the Advanced Technological Education program by partnering with ATE projects and centers to strengthen the program’s evaluation knowledge base, expand the use of exemplary evaluation practices and support the continuous improvement of technician education throughout the nation.

 

EvaluATE: Evaluation Resource Hub for Advanced Technological Education

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Principal Investigator: Lyssa Wilson Becho; Emma Leeburg, co-principal investigator; Lori Wingate, co-principal investigator; and Michael Harnar, co-principal investigator

January 2019 to  January 2024

This project proposal will significantly expand the activities and broaden the impact of EvaluATE, the evaluation learning and research hub for NSF’s ATE program. This project's goals are to:
1) Expand the evidence base for effective STEM education evaluation practices
2) Enhance ATE evaluators’ evaluation knowledge and skills
3) Enhance the ability of ATE project personnel to use valuation effectively
4) Increase professional exchange among ATE evaluation stakeholders

 

Evaluation of Goodwill LifeGuides and Capacity-Strengthening Services

Sponsor: Goodwill Industries of Southwest Michigan
Principal Investigators: Kelly Robertson; Lyssa Wilson Becho, co-principal investigator
May 2019 to July 2021

The Life Guides Program works with families in Allegan and Kalamazoo Counties, making a twenty-year commitment to their efforts to move towards economic self-sufficiency and build educational and life success for themselves and their children. The evaluation focuses on planning, capacity strengthening, program development, program improvement, tracking participant outcomes, and reporting evaluation findings.

 

Evaluation of O-Star Center

Sponsor: Delaware State University
Principal Investigator: Brad Watts
August 2015, to September 2020

The Evaluation Center is serving as an external evaluator on a NASA-funded program to support optics research experiences for graduate students.

 

Evaluation of the S.M.A.R.T Initiative

Sponsor: Indiana State University
Principal Investigator: Brad Watts
October 2018 to September 2023

The S.M.A.R.T Initiative is a program that aims to strengthen and expand mentoring programs at Indiana State University. Through grant support provided under the U.S. Department of Education, Strengthen institutions Program, the university is developing new physical space, training, and programming for students, as well as faculty and staff. The Evaluation Center is partnering with ISU to serve as the evaluator and assess the impact of the initiative on student outcomes, specifically undergraduate academic performance and progress toward degree completion. 

 

Michigan Overdose Data to Action (MODA)

Sponsor: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)
Principal Investigator: Stephen Magura; Valerie Marshall, co-principal investigator
September 2019 to August 2022

MDHHS oversees the administration and implementation of the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program, a multi-year grant funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) targeting the drug overdose epidemic. The Evaluation Center works with MDHHS to evaluate substance use prevention efforts across Michigan. 

 

Seeking Safety Modification Project Extension and Expansion

Sponsor: Department of Justice
Principal Investigator: Kelly Robertson; Lyssa Wilson Becho, co-principal investigator
March 2018 to September 2020

The project seeks to identify and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate services for African American males–between the ages of 14-24–who identify as survivors of violence. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess impacts and determine project progress in order to make future evidence-based decisions.

 

Upward Bound Kalamazoo

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education 
Principal Investigator: Brad Watts
June 2017 to May 2022

The Upward Bound Kalamazoo Program provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The Evaluation Center serves as the external evaluator to help understand student barriers, participants' goals for the program, and provide external feedback to the project team to help strengthen the program and its participants.

 

Upward Bound VanBuren

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
Principal Investigator: Brad Watts
September 2017 to August 2022

The Upward Bound VanBuren Program provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The Evaluation Center serves as the external evaluator to help understand student barriers, participants' goals for the program, and provide external feedback to the project team to help strengthen the program and its participants.