BRAINS Symposium

Evaluation and Impact

The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) at the University of Washington will serve as the evaluator for this project. CWD has served as assessment consultants on a number of related National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant-funded projects including the UW ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant, LEAD, WEBS, and On-Ramps into Academia as well as the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences ADVANCE grant. CWD has also evaluated numerous NSF-funded projects related to science and engineering diversity.

Both formative and summative evaluation approaches will be used for the BRAINS program evaluation. Formative evaluation techniques are necessary to support program improvement and ensure that the programs are continuously effective in reaching their intended goals. Because BRAINS is building on existing successful programming, the formative evaluation aspects will focus on whether the program adaptation and implementation is appropriate for the field of neuroscience. The elements of summative evaluation will assess the extent to which desired program outcomes have been achieved and the overall program impact. Both summative and formative evaluations are essential to the success of BRAINS and its long-term sustainability.

For more information about The Center for Workforce Development, please visit their website at www.engr.washington.edu/cwd.