List of Program Evaluation Core Services
Initial Consultation:
We provide all Northwestern affiliated investigators an initial one hour consultation to discuss their evaluation needs. This consultation is subsidized by the Office of Research, Feinberg, McCormick and Weinberg schools.
Pre-Award Services:
Proposal writing: We work closely with PI’s and program administrators to create an evaluation plan that is closely aligned with the program goals and objectives and matches the expectations of the funding agency.
Please note that at present, PEC is not funded to develop education, diversity equity and inclusion, mentoring or leadership plans for grant proposals. Development and implementation of these activities may be negotiated with Dr. Bennett Goldberg independently of the PEC structure, as capacity and interest allow.
Post-Award Services:
REDCap surveys for Training Grants: A set of online surveys about trainee skills, development and experience in the training program that can be deployed in REDCap. Questions are broad and apply to all training programs.
Program-specific surveys: Online surveys with questions about trainee skills and experience that are based on the unique goals of the training program. Survey questions are developed in consultation with the PI and training program staff.
Focus groups: Small group discussions with program participants/trainees that are facilitated by Program Evaluation Core staff to obtain information on experience in the program, program outcomes and suggestions program improvement. We have a bank of questions that have been developed by Northwestern training grant PI’s and can develop new questions in consultation with PI’s.
Interviews: Program Evaluation Core staff work with PI’s and program staff to develop interview protocols and then conduct the interviews and synthesize results.
Transcription: An external company transcribes focus group and interview audio files
Analysis: Analysis of survey, focus group, interview data
Reporting: An evaluation report based on data from surveys, interviews and focus groups
Logic model creation: A summary of program goals, resources, activities and expected outcomes that is presented in the form of a table