The higher education sector is under increasing pressure to deliver more and to evidence the fruits of its contribution to society. There is a particular focus on the enhanced engagement of students in order to maximise success, and for this engagement to be achieved equitably across the student body, regardless of demographic backgrounds. This…

Education decisionmakers need access to the best evidence about the effectiveness of education interventions, including practices, products, programs, and policies. It can be difficult, time consuming, and costly to access and draw conclusions from relevant studies about the effectiveness of interventions. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)…

Experiential learning is an effective educational tool across many academic disciplines, including career development. Nine different institutions bridged by the National Institutes of Health Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training Consortium compared their experiments in rethinking and expanding training of predoctoral graduate students and…

Although the high costs of implementing personnel development programs in enterprises and increasingly in universities as well are commonly accepted, the scientifically-grounded evaluation of a program's effectiveness is often neglected. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a personnel development program for academics at a German university…

This chapter presents a critical analysis of generative AI (GenAI) detection tools in higher education assessments. The rapid advancement and widespread adoption of GenAI, particularly in education, necessitates a reevaluation of traditional academic integrity mechanisms. I explore the effectiveness, vulnerabilities, and ethical implications of AI…

In this reflective case, we examine the role and function of collaboration in use-oriented evaluation approaches. Reflecting on our experience evaluating a program that sought to integrate new technologies into K-12 teaching and pre-service teacher education, we found that the desire and pursuit of making evaluation useful can influence why, with…

The article addresses the process of making significant programmatic changes to the PhD exams in the Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics division in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Drawing from the various experiences and positionalities of the authors, the article provides a narrative analysis of the process of…

Evaluation and assessment in education have attracted in the last years more attention than the preceding decades. The lack in the initial teaching education programs about evaluation seems to cause the reproduction of evaluation experiences that they have had as students. In this sense, it is important to recognize the actual patterns of…

Extension professionals must demonstrate organizational value to garner public awareness and support. Measuring and communicating outcomes that have public value can be challenging. In this study, Ripple Effects Mapping incorporating the Community Capitals Framework was used to evaluate a childhood obesity prevention study, iCook 4-H, of…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has become increasingly important in the US due to its influence on the nation's educational needs, the creation of a skilled labor force, and opportunities for more tech-savvy workers. However, the evaluation approaches and methodologies used in STEM education programs have come…

Conducting classroom-based educational research trials is important for establishing the efficacy and effectiveness of specific instructional interventions. Such endeavours, however, are challenging to implement. This was made evident during a recent independent evaluation of the efficacy of the MiniLit program, wherein various difficulties…

In October of 2019, I presented at the IUPUI Assessment Institute in Indianapolis on the topic of academic program review. While almost every campus conducts program reviews, the definition, purpose, structure, and integration of assessment in program reviews is not universally understood, accepted, or implemented. This paper summarizes essential…

This study presents findings from a 58 high-school group-randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of training in a multitiered system of supports for behavior (MTSS-B) framework, which was leveraged to reduce students' risk for emotional and behavior disorders. The trial tested the impact of MTSS-B, which included (a) training in the…

As beef industry trends have evolved, beef producers are looking for value-added beef practices and marketing strategies. To ensure that a new value-added beef Extension program framework at Iowa State University aligns with beef producers' needs, a needs assessment instrument was created. We developed a needs assessment tool focused on program…

This review synthesizes the literature base evaluating the effects of behavior analytic interventions delivered via augmented reality (AR) technology for individuals with autism. We also conducted a quality review. We identified 14 studies with a majority of the studies (n = 11; 79%) utilizing single-case research design. Of the 14 studies, three…