Noyce Evaluation Introductory Conference

Summary of Noyce Evaluation Introductory Conference:

All Noyce PIs and project members were invited to participate in a virtual conference, which took place in April 2006.

During this two-day meeting, the program evaluation team shared a variety of resources, including three databases they have developed, which are available online:

  • Literature Review Database: literature related to STEM teacher recruitment and retention; searchable by a variety of topics (e.g., type, author, year, grade level, discipline, classification, and attributes)
  • Evaluation Variables Database: variables that individual Noyce projects are examining in the course of their evaluations.
  • Instrument Descriptions Database: instruments that individual Noyce projects are using for the evaluation of Noyce scholar recruitment and retention; searchable by content, construct, method, and target population.

Participants noted the potential usefulness of the databases for both the development and evaluation of their individual projects. The program evaluation team encouraged everyone to further explore those databases and to continue sending resources and suggestions for improvement.

The program evaluation team discussed three overall areas: (1) the Noyce projects themselves, (2) the collaborative evaluation, and (3) the PI Conference in June.

  1. The Noyce project: In discussion about Noyce projects, emerging issues included the range and type of projects, questions surrounding recruitment (how to best do it, who is being recruited), the sustainability of projects after NSF funding ends, and the interaction with districts.
  2. The collaborative evaluation: Possible directions for the collaborative evaluation were shaped by the issues mentioned above and others. Currently the program evaluation team plans to focus on recruitment, retention, the program experience, and on partnerships, with the details of the approach to each topic worked out in conjunction with the Noyce projects.
  3. PI Conference in June: For the PI Conference, the program evaluation team plans to utilize participant suggestions to provide preliminary options for the ideas on evaluation, areas from which questions should arise, potential sources for information, and possible methods for obtaining data. Again, opinions from Noyce projects will be important in shaping this.

Please click here for a more detailed summary of the conference.

The new references that were suggested during the conference will soon be added to our literature database.

This event provided a sample of what is possible with online conference technology. The program evaluation team will continue to use technology to support discussion between projects, and between project and evaluators, over the coming years.

Your insights and participation were a crucial part of this conference. The program evaluation team thanks you for your participation and looks forward to more discussion in the coming months.

 

Click here to Revisit the Recorded Thursday Conference

Click here to View the Power Point slides from Thursday's Conference

Click here to Revisit the Recorded Friday Conference