the nm eval lab’s goal 1.1: “to support...

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1 Summary of Findings for Eval^2 Focus Group with Fellows May 11, 2017 Charla Henley Senior Fellow of the Evaluation Lab Background: The Eval^2 focus group was performed on May 4, 2017 with 12 of 12 students from this year’s cohort of Evaluation Lab Fellows. One student left early. The focus group was interactive in nature, so activities involved a variety of expression methods such as drawing, speaking, sharing with a partner, and individual writing. Questions were created to evaluate the following goal: The NM Eval Lab’s Goal 1.1: “To support students in developing the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to design and implement program evaluations that reflect organizations’ values and missions.” Collaboratively, we decided on the following: a) What did the course feel like for students? b) What did students experience in course/curriculum vs. in practicum? c) What did students experience in relationships with organizations? What were the challenges and benefits? d) What did students learn from their mentors? e) What was the experience of working as a team member? (Was everyone valued, did everyone contribute?) f) What skills can be attributed to the students’ participation in the lab? g) Would students recommend the program to other students? h) How could it be better? Findings: a) What did the course feel like for students? The answer to this question was achieved through a drawing activity, where students could draw what the course felt like on a gingerbread person. Overall, students either felt that the course was overwhelming and confusing (often represented with question marks over the eyes or brain, or the brain be “fried”), represented by Figure 1. or they felt empowered, engaged, and stimulated by the course (represented by smiles, hearts, and feelings of success) as shown in Figure 2. In some cases, illustrated in Figure 3., students felt confused at first, but empowered in the second semester. Most students mentioned stress and exhaustion.

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Page 1: The NM Eval Lab’s Goal 1.1: “To support studentsevallab.unm.edu/learning-center/16-17-focus-group.pdf1 Summary of Findings for Eval^2 Focus Group with Fellows May 11, 2017 Charla

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SummaryofFindingsforEval^2FocusGroupwithFellowsMay11,2017CharlaHenley

SeniorFellowoftheEvaluationLabBackground:TheEval^2focusgroupwasperformedonMay4,2017with12of12studentsfromthisyear’scohortofEvaluationLabFellows.Onestudentleftearly.Thefocusgroupwasinteractiveinnature,soactivitiesinvolvedavarietyofexpressionmethodssuchasdrawing,speaking,sharingwithapartner,andindividualwriting.Questionswerecreatedtoevaluatethefollowinggoal:TheNMEvalLab’sGoal1.1:“Tosupportstudentsindevelopingtheknowledge,skills,andtoolstheyneedtodesignandimplementprogramevaluationsthatreflectorganizations’valuesandmissions.”Collaboratively,wedecidedonthefollowing:

a) Whatdidthecoursefeellikeforstudents?b) Whatdidstudentsexperienceincourse/curriculumvs.inpracticum?c) Whatdidstudentsexperienceinrelationshipswithorganizations?Whatwerethe

challengesandbenefits?d) Whatdidstudentslearnfromtheirmentors?e) Whatwastheexperienceofworkingasateammember?(Waseveryonevalued,did

everyonecontribute?)f) Whatskillscanbeattributedtothestudents’participationinthelab?g) Wouldstudentsrecommendtheprogramtootherstudents?h) Howcoulditbebetter?

Findings:

a) Whatdidthecoursefeellikeforstudents?Theanswertothisquestionwasachievedthroughadrawingactivity,wherestudentscoulddrawwhatthecoursefeltlikeonagingerbreadperson.Overall,studentseitherfeltthatthecoursewasoverwhelmingandconfusing(oftenrepresentedwithquestionmarksovertheeyesorbrain,orthebrainbe“fried”),representedbyFigure1.ortheyfeltempowered,engaged,andstimulatedbythecourse(representedbysmiles,hearts,andfeelingsofsuccess)asshowninFigure2.Insomecases,illustratedinFigure3.,studentsfeltconfusedatfirst,butempoweredinthesecondsemester.Moststudentsmentionedstressandexhaustion.

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Figure1.Student’sexperienceincourse(confusingandoverwhelming)

Figure2.Student’sexperienceincourse(empowering&stimulating)

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Figure3.Student’sexperienceofthefirstsemestervs.secondsemester

Thegingerbreadpersonactivitybroughttolighttheknowledgedifferencebetweenallparticipants,whichwasmentionedagaininthefocusgroupactivitiesthatfollowed.b) Whatdidstudentsexperienceincourse/curriculumvs.inpracticum?Studentsfrequentlyhighlightedguestpresenters,conferences,workshops,andpersonalfeedbackfromSoniaandMelissaonprojectsasbenefitstothecurriculumportionoftheEvalLab.Withinthecurriculum,studentscommentedthatthediscussionboardwasnotas

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helpfulandthathavingadiversecohortmeantstudentswereatdifferentlevelsofunderstanding(somethinkitwasboring,othersthinkitwasoverwhelming).Duringthepracticumportionofthecourse,studentsenjoyedworkingandbuildingrelationshipswithorganizationsandhavinginformationentrustedtothem.However,studentsfeltoneofthemoredifficultpartsofthepracticumcamefromorganizationwithintheorganizations(asintheorganizationscanbeorseemdisorganized).Overall,fellowsreportedcommunicationbetweenteamsandorganizationsasthenumberoneissueinthepracticum.c) Whatdidstudentsexperienceinrelationshipswithorganizations?Whatwerethe

challengesandbenefits?Byworkingwithcommunityorganizations,studentsgainedpractical/realworlduseforacademic/evaluationresearch,wereabletobridgetheiracademictrainingintothecommunity,andfeltproudtohaveanimpactonthecommunity.Studentsfeltthebiggestchallengeintherelationshipwiththeorganizationswasthetimeschedules(thefactthatorganizationsarebusyandschedulingwashard).Somealsonotedthatitwashardtofigureoutwhattheorganizationsreallywantedevaluated.d) Whatdidstudentslearnfromtheirmentors?Overall,studentsrespondedverypositivelyabouttheirmentors,mentioningthattheirmentorshelpedthemimprovetheirwritingskills,professionalism,timemanagement,andpresentationskills.Theirbiggestconcernsaboutthementoringprocesswerethatitwassometimesunclearwhowasresponsibleforwhatandsomefeltthatallmembersoftheirteamwerenottreatedequally.Onestudentmentionedfrustrationwiththementorbysaying,“[Iwas]frustratedbythetreatmentfrommentorinteam.[I]feltsheoversteppedmeeverytimeandtreatedmeassomeonewhowasunintelligent.”Therewasnocommentonhowtoalleviatethisinthefuture.e) Whatwastheexperienceofworkingasateammember?(Waseveryonevalued,did

everyonecontribute?)Inmostcases,responsesaboutworkingasateamwerepositive.Inthepositiveresponses,studentsmentionedlearningfromtheirteam,balancingthework,andfeelingliketheywerecontributingandsupported.However,therewereafewstudentswhoreportedthattherewasfrustrationbecausetheyfelttheyweredominatedbytheotherteammembers.Studentsalsomentionedthatthechangeinclassschedulesfromonesemestertothenextwasuncomfortable/inconvenient.f) Whatskillscanbeattributedtothestudents’participationinthelab?ThenumberoneskillstudentsattributetotheirparticipationintheEvalLabiscommunication.Studentsalsohighlighteddatavisualization,presentations,publicspeakingskills,excelskills,amongafewothersthoughcommunicationwasbyfarthemostrepeated.InFigure4,theWordlebelow,communicationisevidentasthegreatestskillstudentsattributedtotheirparticipationintheEvalLab.

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g) Wouldstudentsrecommendtheprogramtootherstudents?Everystudentwhoansweredthisquestion,answeredintheaffirmativethatyes,theywouldrecommendtheEvalLabtoafriend/fellowstudent.However,somementionedtheywouldonlyrecommendifthesuggestedchangesweremadeorwouldrecommendbutwiththedisclaimerthatthereisalotofwork,meetings,obligations,etc.Onefellowwrote,“Iwould[recommendit].However,Iwouldalsoletthemknowofallofthechallenges.Theorganizationsmaynotbeeasytoworkwith,workingwithateamcanbegreat,butalsochallenging.Allofthetimerequirements(sitevisits,posterpresentations,etc).Iwouldalsosaytonottakemorethan12credithoursandnottodoanotherinternshipwhiledoingtheEvaluationLab.Notonlyforyoursanity,butalsotoenableyoutobemoreflexible.

Meanwhile,otherswerethankfulfortheexperiencetheyhad:“Yes,IwouldrecommendtheEvalfellowshiptomostpeople.Itwasarichandhelpfulexperience.Thankyou.”“ThankyoufortheblessingandopportunitytoworkwithEvalLab.Theprogramandthefacilitator,professorsoftheEvalLabhavemadethisexperienceablessing.Pushingmehardertoworkandunderstandhowtodoresearchandorganizewithcommunityorganizations.”

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h) Howcoulditbebetter?Hereiswhatstudentsreallyliked:

• Havingachoiceinaligningwithorganization• Notfeelingconstrainedbyevaluationexamples• Sitevisits• Mentors• MelissaandSonia• Postersession• Money/stipend(laughter)"butreallyitwasoneofthereasonsIapplied"• Workingwithorganization(willcontinuetoworkwiththemhereafter)• Diversityofcohort• SeniorFellows(helpfulbutnottotallynecessary—otherswhodidn'thavethem

didn'tfeelliketheymissedout)• Happyhourswiththeorganizations• Guestpresenters• Datavisualization

Hereiswhatstudentssuggestbedonedifferently:

• Centralizegroupfeedbackonreports,maybeinachain(onepersonatatime)• Examplesofevaluationscouldofferoutlinestowrapheadaroundwhatit

[evaluation]couldbe• Clearlystateexpectationsforsitevisitsaheadoftimeinclass• Changetimeofsitevisits(hardtofitaroundclassschedules)• Calendarshouldbepublishedfrombeginningofsemestertoendwithoutside

events(sitevisits,workshops,presentations,etc.)• Shouldofferclasstimetodiscuss/introducemarginalizationasinstitutionalproblem

(notjustmentionedassurfaceissueordemographicissue)-->"justasimportantasIRBtraining"

• Discussionboardsneedtobemorespecificifcontinuingtouse"seemedlikesomepeoplejustrespondedbecausetheyhadto,wasn'tproductive"(thisisalsorepeatedfromthespeedroundofactivities)

• Giveoptiontochoosepartner/whoyouwanttoworkwith• Workflows/materialsoutlinestosupportalllevelsoflearninginclass(camefrom

discussionofsomestudentsthinkingthecoursewastooslowwhileothersthoughtitwastoofast/overwhelming)

ConclusionsandRecommendations:Returningtothegoalofthisfocusgroup,todetermineiftheEvalLabismeetingGoal1.1“Tosupportstudentsindevelopingtheknowledge,skills,andtoolstheyneedtodesignandimplementprogramevaluationsthatreflectorganizations’valuesandmissions,”Ibelievetheanswerisyes.Thoughthestudentsdidhaveafewrecommendationsforimprovement—theyclearlyfeltthefrustrationsofworkingwithoverworkedcommunityorganizationsandin

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teams—overall,theyfeltthattheEvalLabhelpedthemgrowincommunication,publicspeaking,workingwithExcel,andpresenting,amongothers.StudentsenjoyedtheirworkwiththeEvalLab.Inmanycases,studentsfeltstressedbutalsosupportedandbytheendtheywereveryproudoftheirproducts.ItappearsthatthestressandconfusiondidnotprohibitstudentsfromperformingwellintheEvalLaboverall,sincemanyreportedthattheirorganizationswereverysatisfiedwiththefinalproduct.Studentswerealsoverythankfulandverywillingtorecommendtheexperiencetotheirpeers.Thisisverypositivebecause,whilestudentsmayhavefoundthecoursechallenging,theyultimatelyfeltitwasapositiveexperiencethatcausedthemtogrow.Ontheotherhand,somestudentsdidn’tfeeloverwhelmed,andinsteadfeltthecurriculumofthecoursemovedtooslowlyandwasboringattimes.Studentsnoticedthattherewasalargedividebetweenthosewhoalreadyknewalotaboutevaluationandthosewhowerestartingfromscratch.Inthecasethatstudentsfeltunderwhelmed,theysuggestedthatperhapsworkflowsoradditionalmaterialcouldbesuppliedtothosethatarestrugglinginordertosupportalllevelsoflearningintheclass.Thiswasatopicthatsurfacedindrawing,writing,andspeakinginpairs.