Project Evaluation/Broader Impacts Workshop- Sessions F103 and F104
This workshop will consist of two components: (I) Project evaluation component. The goal of
this component of the workshop session is to prepare engineering faculty members to work with
an evaluator to plan and implement an effective evaluation of an education research or
development project. In pursuit of this goal, the session intends to increase the participants'
awareness of the role of goals and outcomes in the evaluation process, of the nature of the
cognitive and affective outcomes, and of evaluation tools for monitoring these types of
outcomes. The session consists of a series of small group activities using a think, share, report,
and learn format. In this format, group member first reflect on their own current conceptual
understanding of the issue, then share these ideas in small groups and then again with the large
goals, objectives, and outcomes in project evaluation, (2) evaluating cognitive outcomes, (3)
interpreting evaluation data, (4) evaluating affective outcomes, (5) writing an evaluation plan for
a proposed project, and (6) working with an evaluator. The workshop is intended for faculty
members who are either seeking external support for educational research and development
projects or are engaged in efforts to improve the educational experience of their students. (II)
Broader impacts component. The goal of this component of the workshop session is to enable
participants to develop a better understanding of the broader impacts criterion used in the NSF
review process and, therefore, prepare proposals that are more responsive to this particular
criterion. The session will use interactive exercises to examine general and specific areas of
activities for addressing broader impacts requirements and specific project activities in these
areas. Participants will then apply these ideas as they review the broader impacts of a proposed
project and suggest alternative activities to strengthen its broader impacts. A brief introduction
will identify the session's goals and agenda. This will be followed by series of interactive
exercises, in which participants will share their ideas about various aspects of the broader
impacts criterion and then hear reactions and suggestions from NSF program officers. The
session will then do a mock panel review of a proposed project and to suggestions for
improvement. The session is designed for investigators that plan to submit educational proposals
to NSF. At the close of the session, participants should be better prepared to provide an improved
and comprehensive plan for addressing NSF's broader impacts criterion in their proposals.