Project Guidelines for Educational Program Assessment

The Educational Program Assessment (EPA) Team provides expertise in the development and implementation of assessment for educational programs led or supported by the Poorvu Center and our partner units across campus. We use learning science and educational psychology to inform our approach. Our team oversees assessment on a range of recurring programs, involving the design, implementation, methodological approach, and the analysis and reporting of educational data.

The guiding philosophy of the Ed. Program Assessment team is to produce assessment that is:

1)      Aligned: Clearly relates to outcomes and program activities 

2)      Actionable: Produces concrete next steps and long-term vision

3)      Inclusive: Accessible to and respectful of varied needs of the audience

4)      Sustainable: Assessment activities are able to be supported over time as needed (specifying whether this would be Poorvu or departmentally driven)

Poorvu Educational Program Assessment team provides support for:

1.      Program Evaluation: Support for instructors, department chairs, directors of educational programs, and Poorvu Center colleagues who are assessing learning and performance in their curriculum.

a.       Guidance for campus and department-wide teaching and learning assessment projects

b.      Development of intermediate and long-term goals for educational projects

c.       Consultation on methodologies for collecting educational data, including mixed methods approaches (e.g. surveys, focus groups, interviews, scale validation, etc.)

d.      Direct support to assess educational initiatives

2.      External and Internal Grant Proposals with Educational Components: Pedagogical expertise and support for faculty preparing grant proposals that include an educational, assessment/evaluation, or instructional technology component. The depth of our engagement in these projects varies. In many cases, our feedback involves occasional meetings to review materials developed by the grant leads. In some cases, we more directly interact with developing the evaluation plan. If you believe that your grant will need substantial contribution from our team, please contact us before submission. We are glad to discuss your grant evaluation, and please reach out to discuss how our team may be able to offer support.

Higher priority is given to projects that:

Align with the Poorvu Center’s core mission

·         Emphasize teaching and learning experiences at Yale

·         Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion

·         Support broader Yale initiatives (e.g., Belonging at Yale)

·         Explores a practice that could have, or more broadly applies a practice that could have, a demonstrable impact on student learning

Incorporate evaluation as an integral and iterative part of the evaluation or grant design

Demonstrate sensitivity of data storage and ownership with internal and external collaborators

For Poorvu Center Data Guidance and Impact, our approach incorporates:

·         Collaborative relationships among other data hubs across campus, such as the Office of Institutional Research, the Institutional Review Board, and Information Technology Services

·         Building a foundation among Poorvu Center teams that reflects shared knowledge of informed assessment approaches

·         The development of practices and considerations for data storage and integrity within Poorvu programming

·         Contributions towards increasing the awareness and development of Yale’s policies and guidance for data

Support for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Following the mission of Yale and the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning to promote DEIB values, we emphasize data collection that is inclusive and considerate of the educational community. We are happy to discuss how to apply these practices to your assessments.

Provision of Grant Evaluation Support

Our team provides guidance in the development and review of evaluation plans for federal and private grant proposals, within the defined scope above. The depth of our engagement in these projects varies. In many cases, our feedback involves occasional meetings to review materials developed by the grant leads. In some cases, we more directly interact with developing the evaluation plan. Under some circumstances, we are available to be directly involved in the implementation of the grant evaluation. We are glad to discuss your grant evaluation, and please reach out to discuss how our team may be able to offer support.

Contact Us

To learn more about how the EPA team can support your assessment, please contact assessment.poorvu@yale.edu.