Innovations in STEM Education Evaluation: Enhancing the Quality of Evidence Available to Assess the Impacts of Research Portfolios

Session Submission Type: Symposium

Abstract

Efforts to establish the impacts of portfolios of funded research are consistent with broader evidence and accountability movements which seek to provide innovative and robust indicators of impact to inform strategic planning across the educational research, planning, policy-making, and professional communities. However considerable challenges can be encountered in devising appropriate metrics and approaches for undertaking such evaluations, particularly when the portfolios incorporate diverse and innovative investigations at various stages in the research and development cycle. This symposium presents insights from three recent NSF initiatives to advance innovations in STEM education evaluation, and enhance the quality of evidence available to assess the impacts of portfolios of research.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research on Evaluation

Cosponsor

• AERA Sessions

Chair

• Finbarr C. Sloane, National Science Foundation

Papers

• Using Bibliometric Data for Program Evaluation: A Citation Analysis of the National Science Foundation’s Program on Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering - James S. Dietz, National Science Foundation; Kevin L. Brown, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Developing a Rubric for Assessing the Methodological Rigor of Research Portfolios: Insights From a Pilot Project - Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University; Sarah-Kathryn McDonald, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Advancing Innovations in STEM Education Evaluation: Program, Portfolio, and Project Evaluation Initiatives in the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Directorate - Janice M. Earle, National Science Foundation

Discussants

• Finbarr C. Sloane, National Science Foundation

• Stephen J. Hegedus, University of Massachusetts