Letter from the Executive Director
As I reflect on the 2023-24 fiscal year, it is with pride and gratitude that I share some of the accomplishments and milestones of The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. Last year marked our 50th anniversary at Western Michigan University, celebrating half a century of dedication, innovation, and collaboration. Since our inception, we have been driven by advancing the field of evaluation, and this year was no exception.
Our commitment to providing accessible learning opportunities continues through our popular resources, such as the Evaluation Checklists collection, the Evaluation Cafe speaker series, and the Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation, all of which remain open-access.
A standout achievement was securing $7 million in federal grants, contributing to over $18 million in the past five years. Our efforts continue to bolster our role within WMU’s Office of Research and Innovation, strengthening our collective capacity to effect meaningful change.
2023-24 Activities
Thomaz Chianca
Managing Partner
COMEA Relevant Evaluations
Jane Davidson
Evaluator
October 16, 2023
Thomaz and Jane visited The Evaluation Center to discuss their work with Save the Children International and the Laudes Foundation. They provided an in-depth view of a retrospective impact evaluation they did in Ethiopia for Save the Children that ended up as the main case study they developed for an e-course on impact evaluation they recently launched.
Felicia R. Bohanon, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Office of Precollegiate Programs
Northern Illinois University
March 13, 2024
Strategies for Amplifying and Empowering Voices in Evaluation
The active inclusion of new and emerging perspectives in the evaluation field fosters diversity, sustainability, and the ongoing evolution of theory, methods, and practice. As the American Evaluation Association (AEA) examines its priorities and develops a new strategic plan in 2024, a core consideration is how does the field foster an inclusive environment where all voices are valued? In this session, the AEA President will discuss the organizational priorities that will guide the development of the strategic plan and AEA’s 2024 conference, which will focus on mentoring those new to the field of evaluation, elevating fresh perspectives throughout the evaluation community, and creating space for experienced professionals to share and gain knowledge. Join this Evaluation Café session to discuss how AEA can foster collaboration among emerging and established professionals to create a stronger future for the evaluation field.
Evaluation Café features discussions and presentations about evaluation over the lunch hour. Café presenters introduce new ideas, solicit feedback on real-world evaluation issues, and share recent evaluation work. This longstanding speaker series is offered both in-person and virtually, with the new hybrid format leading to increased participation.
EvaluATE webchats occur monthly and are an opportunity for small groups of ATE evaluation community members to share and learn from each other in real-time.
2023-24 Webchat Topics
Becho, L.W., Hooker, S., (2024, June). Collecting and Reporting Demographic Data.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2024, May). Post-Evaluation Action Planning.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2024, April). Asset-focused Evaluation Reporting.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2024, March). Managing Evaluation Projects.
Becho, L. W. (2024, February). Qualitative Evaluation.
Becho, L. W. & Sturgis, E. (2024, February). Preparing for the 2024 ATE Survey.
Becho, L. W. & Sturgis, E. (2024, January). Preparing for the 2024 ATE Survey.
Lopez, M. (2023, December). Reflecting on 2023.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2023, November). Lessons from ATE evaluators.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2023, October). Creating evaluation summaries.
Becho, L. W., Hooker, S. (2023, September). Publishing your evaluation findings & IRB woes.
Becho, L. W. (2023, August). Finding & hiring an evaluator.
Becho, L. W. (2023, July). The role of AI in evaluation.
Echols-Miller, E., Osbourne, J., Watts, B., & Wingate, L. (Oct. 13, 2023). Fulfilling the multi-faceted commitments of university-based evaluation centers. Presentation at the American Evaluation Association annual conference.
Lopez, M. & Wingate, L. (2024, April). A grants professional’s guide to getting the most out of your evaluation. Presentation at the Florida Council for Resource Development Conference, Miami, FL.
Lopez, M. & Wingate, L. (2024, April). Strategies and insights for evaluation planning for federal grant proposals. Presentation at the Florida Council for Resource Development Conference, Miami, FL.
Becho, L. W., Lopez, M. (2023, July). Crafting clear and concise logic models for successful ATE proposals and evaluations. Presentation at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Robertson, K. N., & Wingate, L. A. (2024, April). Valeo: Practical evaluation training powered by Western Michigan University. Western Michigan Evaluators Network. [virtual]
Marshall, V. (2023, October). Values and Valuing in Evaluation: A Mixed Method Study. Poster at the American Evaluation Association Conference.
Marshall, V., Slowinski, M. (2023, July). Workplace-based learning in ATE. Poster at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Marshall, V. (2023, July). From evaluation to action: Using Evaluation Findings to improve your project. Presentation at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Marshall, V., McKeown, G. (2023, October). Facilitators to evaluation in ATE. Breakfast roundtable at the ATE PI Conference in Washington D.C.
Becho, L. W., Leung, K., & Lewis, J. (2023, October). Developing and Assessing Success Metrics for Work-Based Learning. Presentation at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.
Becho, L. W., & Sturgis, E. (2023, October). Celebrating ATE’s Evolution through Findings from the ATE Survey. Presentation at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.
Becho, L. W., Owens, K., & Silvers, P. (2023, October). What PIs Need to Know about Preparing NSF Annual Reports – Now! Presentation at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.
Becho, L.W., & Dean, K. (2023, October). Words Create Worlds: Using Appreciative Inquiry and the Power of Stories for Strategic Thinking. Presentation at the American Evaluation Association Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Becho, L.W. Stories from an Evaluator. Invited presentation at the Tennessee Tech University annual symposium for Program Planning and Evaluation, Virtual, April 2024.
Watts, B. (2023, November). Scholarship Can Support Evaluation Success. AEA365 Blog.
Marshall, V. (2024, May). Practicing What You Preach: How Do You Talk About Values? AEA365 Blog.
Marshall, V., & Becho, L. W. (2024, March). Lessons Learned from Facilitating a Virtual Event. EvaluATE Blog. Western Michigan University.
Becho, L. W., & Harnar, M. (2023, November). Supporting Open-Access Evaluation Scholarship through JMDE. AEA365 Blog.
Marshall, V. (2024, June). Working with an Evaluator: What to Know. EvaluATE Blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. A. (2023, December 1). Developing evaluation elearning: Our journey and lessons learned. AEA365: A Tip-a-Day by and for Evaluators.
Wingate, L. A. (2023, November 28). In defense of checklists: More than checking a box. AEA365: A Tip-a-Day by and for Evaluators.
Wingate, L. A. (2023, November 26). Celebrating The Evaluation Center’s 50 years at Western Michigan University. AEA365 Blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L.A. (2024, April). Valeo: Practical Self-Paced Online Evaluation Courses. EvaluATE blog.
Hooker, S. (2023, November). Evaluation Café: Four Decades of Learning and Growth. AEA365 Blog.
Hooker, S. (2024, January). Celebrating Excellence: Insights from the 2023 Outstanding ATE Evaluation Awards Nominations. EvaluATE blog.
Hooker, S. (2023, July). Reflecting on the 2023 ATE Evaluation Summit: Advancing Evaluation Practices in the ATE Program. EvaluATE blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. (2023, August). Communicating a Compelling Evaluation Plan in Your ATE Proposal: Using Your Evaluation Results. EvaluATE blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. (2023, July). Communicating a Compelling Evaluation Plan in Your ATE Proposal: Reporting. EvaluATE blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. (2023, July). Communicating a Compelling Evaluation Plan in Your ATE Proposal: Data Analysis and Interpretation. EvaluATE blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. (2023, July). Communicating a Compelling Evaluation Plan in Your ATE Proposal: Data Collection Plan. EvaluATE blog.
Robertson, K. & Wingate, L. (2023, July). Communicating a Compelling Evaluation Plan in Your ATE Proposal: Evaluation Focus. EvaluATE blog.
Youker, B. (2023, December). Managing Student-Evaluator Anxiety and Interpersonal Communication. AEA365 blog.
Youker, B. W., & Ballard, A. (2024). Goal-free evaluation: An orientation for foundations’ evaluations – Updated 2024. The Foundation Review, 16(1). (Original work published 2014.) https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1697
Youker, B. W. (2024). Scriven's goal-free evaluation. Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation, 20 (47).
Lee-Easton, M., Magura, S., Abu-Obaid, R., Reed, P., Allgaier, B., Fish, E., Maletta A.L., Amaratunga P, Lorenz-Lemberg B, Levitas, M, Achtyes, E. D. (2024). Polysubstance use patterns among individuals applying for opioid-use disorder treatment in the U.S. Journal of Substance Use, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2372093.
Lee-Easton, M. J., Magura, S., Abu-Obaid, R., Reed, P., Allgaier, B., Fish, E., Maletta A.L., Amaratunga P, Lorenz-Lemberg B, Levitas, M, Achtyes, E. (2024). Direct-to-definitive urine and oral fluid test results for unscreened and rarely screened drugs in individuals applying for methadone treatment in 7 U.S. states. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2024.2314220.
Magura, S., Lee-Easton, M. J., Abu-Obaid, R., Reed, P., Allgaier, B., Fish, E., Maletta A.L., Amaratunga P, Lorenz-Lemberg, B, Levitas, M, Achtyes, E. D. (2024). Prevalence and drug use correlates of inadvertent fentanyl exposure among individuals misusing drugs in seven U.S. states. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2023.2293643.
Magura, S., Lee-Easton, M. J., Abu-Obaid, R., Reed, P., Allgaier, B., Fish, E., Maletta A.L., Amaratunga P, Lorenz-Lemberg B, Levitas, M Achtyes, E. D. (2023). Comparing presumptive with direct-to-definitive drug testing in oral fluid vs. urine for a U.S. national sample of individuals misusing drugs. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 250, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110894.
Lee-Easton, M. J., & Magura, S. (2023). Discrepancies in Ratings of Behavioral Healthcare Interventions Among Evidence-Based Program Resources Websites. Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing, 60, 469580231186836. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231186836
Magura, S., Lee, M.J., Abu-Obaid, R.N., Landsverk, J., DeCamp, W. Rolls-Reutz, J. … Perkins, D.F. (2023). The influence of evidence-based program registry websites for dissemination of evidence-based interventions in behavioral healthcare. Evaluation and Program Planning, 97(102214).
Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., & Becho, L. W. (2024). The garden of evaluation approaches. American Journal of Evaluation, 42(2), 166-185. https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231216667
EvaluATE hosts open-access webinars year-round, designed to support evaluators and ATE project staff with practical tools and insights. The webinars cover a broad range of topics that can easily be adapted to various evaluation contexts, providing valuable information for project leaders, educators, and evaluators alike. Each session is recorded and made available to the evaluation community, ensuring continued access to critical learning materials at any time.
2023-24 Webinars
Becho, L.W., Hooker, S., (2024, June). Evaluation Essentials for Non-Evaluators: Understanding the Basics and Benefits of Evaluation.
Becho, L.W., Hooker, S., (2024, March). Strategies and Insights into Evaluation Plans for NSF ATE Proposals (Mentor Connect).
Becho, L.W., Hooker, S., (2024, February). Evaluation Essentials for Non-Evaluators: Understanding the Basics and Benefits of Evaluation (Mentor Connect).
Becho, L.W., Vanegas, G., (2024, February). Transforming STEM education: Unleashing qualitative insights for inclusive learning environments.
Becho, L. W., Lopez, M. (2023, October). Interpreting Evaluation Data – Unlocking Insights for Project Improvement. Preconference workshop at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.
Becho, L. W., Brobst, J., Brown, E., Gruber, J., Heath, B., LoRe, S., & Tewalt, T. ATE Evaluators: Connect, Share, Learn. Special Interest Group (SIG) at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Atlanta, GA, July 2023.
Lopez, M., & Wingate, L. A. (2024, April). A grants professional’s guide to getting the most out of your evaluation. Workshop at the Florida Council for Resource Development conference, Miami, FL.
Lopez, M., & Wingate, L. A. (2024, April). Strategies and insights for evaluation planning for federal grant proposals. Workshop at the Florida Council for Resource Development conference, Miami, FL.
2023-24 Grants and Contracts
These projects are worth more than $14 million over their total award periods. Projects active in this fiscal year are listed below. The award values reflect the overall value of these grants and contracts, not necessarily the amount received in 2023-24.
| Title | Sponsor | Principal Investigator | Begin Date | End Date | Total Amount |
| American Heart Association Eval 24 | American Heart Association | Lori Wingate | 4/5/2024 | 6/30/2024 | $20,089 |
| CSTE eCR | Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists | Lori Wingate | 6/1/2023 | 7/31/2024 | $299,641 |
| EvaluATE 19 | National Science Foundation | Lyssa Wilson Becho and Lori Wingate | 1/15/2019 | 12/31/2024 | $4,973,312 |
| EvaluATE 5.0 | National Science Foundation | Lyssa Wilson Becho and Lori Wingate | 1/1/2024 | 12/31/2028 | $6,211,812 |
| Faculty Online Learning | National Science Foundation | Melissa Dancy | 10/15/2021 | 9/30/2026 | $256,319 |
| FAN | Families Against Narcotics | Brad Watts | 9/22/2023 | 9/21/2024 | $209,734 |
| Goodwill 5 | Goodwill Industries of SW Michigan | Kelly Robertson | 5/1/2022 | 7/31/2023 | $22,500 |
| ISU SIP | Indiana State University | Brad Watts | 10/1/2018 | 9/30/2023 | $350,000 |
| MPCA-HCCTP | Michigan Primary Care Association | Brad Watts | 10/2/2023 | 10/31/2024 | $43,734 |
| Oral Fluids | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Steve Magura | 9/30/2019 | 2/29/2024 | $1,447,335 |
| PDI | WMU Professional Development Institute | Kelly Robertson | 8/1/2023 | 9/30/2024 | $9,000 |
| UM Alliance | University of Michigan | Brad Watts | 2/1/2021 | 3/31/2024 | $230,713 |
| We Talk | WMU Office of Government Relations | Brad Watts | 7/31/2023 | 5/31/2024 | $14,800 |
2023-24 Staff Highlights
2023-24 In the News
Evaluation Center executive director honored with statewide evaluation award
The Evaluation Center announces launch of innovative e-learning courses on program evaluation
Student experience meets community impact in groundbreaking new Evaluation Lab
