Under-Represented Populations Annotated Plan Excerpts

Excerpt 1 [Dartmouth College]

Evaluation Purposes

While key indicators of the program's ultimate success will be the degree to which it leads to increases in the number of science majors declared at the end of the sophomore year, and increases in the number of senior women entering careers or further graduate studies in the sciences, it is essential to acquire a greater understanding of the nature and dynamics of the internship process and experience, and the role it plays in a woman's first-year experience during her formative college years, and its potential influence on her subsequent years as an upper division student.

Evaluation Questions

The in-depth, qualitative evaluation process we propose to employ will enable us to address some crucial questions, answers which will guide the future development and dissemination of this intervention strategy. For example, do the internships have clear "added value" by providing rich, hands-on experiences in science that are qualitatively different from introductory laboratory-based courses typical of freshman year? What is the nature of the relationship between intern and faculty sponsor--what factors contribute to, or hinder, the formation of a positive mentoring relationship? How does the internship program provide support mechanisms and a shared collective experience that serves as both catalyst and vehicle for women to become their own network of budding scientists and scholars? In what ways do the internships provide additional experiences in science that complement or extend other components of the overall project (e.g. any "carry-over" benefits that extend beyond the first year, and enhance a student's subsequent experiences in college?) It is this closer, more in-depth look at the nature of the student's internship experience for which we seek funding.
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Evaluation Purposes

A more comprehensive understanding and documentation of the value, effectiveness, limitations, and complexity of the internship program and process, gleaned from the proposed evaluation, will have three major types of beneficial outcomes. First, it will provide information to guide how the internship model might be improved, revised and enhanced at Dartmouth. Second, it will enable us to better replicate such a model at other institutions interested in encouraging and sustaining the interest of women in the sciences. Third, it will contribute to a knowledge base of what factors and program components can best support women's participation and retention in the sciences, to assist other research and implementation efforts in this area.

Excerpt 2 [University of Washington]

An external evaluator will be hired to conduct an overall evaluation of the Mentoring Training Program and to assist in the preparation of the evaluation materials to be included in the package of materials for the Mentoring Training Program.

Evaluation Purposes:
Describes intended role of external evaluator

More specifically, the external evaluator will be responsible for evaluating the quality of the Mentoring Training Program on a) establishing quality mentoring relationships; b) improving the overall effectiveness of the mentoring programs; and c) increasing retention of female students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering … An evaluation plan will be prepared to include both internal and external evaluation. The plan will include an assessment of the transportability of the Mentoring Training Program to other institutions, the cost-effectiveness of the training, all of which have a direct influence on an institution's willingness to institutionalize such a program. Formative and summative analyses will be conducted.