Research and Innovation

The Evaluation Center

The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University is committed to advancing the theory, practice and utilization of evaluation through research, education, service and leadership. The Evaluation Center has a long history of conducting program evaluation, policy analysis, needs assessments, cost analyses, feasibility studies, GPRA assessments, impact assessments, process evaluations, outcome evaluations, concept mapping, evaluability assessments and metaevaluations across many sectors. Explore the Evaluation Center website to learn more about services.

Access the Evaluation Center Site

Research Highlight

Principal Investigator Dr. Lori Wingate and her team received an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2018 for the project entitled "EvaluATE: Evaluation Learning and Resource Hub for Advanced Technological Education." The original award abstract describes the project purpose to support EvaluATE's research, education, and network building activities, with the goal of enhancing the quality and impact of ATE workforce development projects.

In 2020, EvaluATE received $775,000 in supplemental funding from NSF to expand its research activities. The additional funding will support partnerships with Larry Mallak and Nolen Akerman from WMU’s Department of Industrial and Entrepreneurial and Engineering Management and Cody Williams and Robert Ruhf from the Science and Math Program Improvement (SAMPI, which is part of located within the Mallinson Institute for Science Education). Mallak and Akerman will work with EvaluATE to use “big data” analytic techniques to mine conventionally collected program evaluation data. Williams and Ruhf will be building on EvaluATE’s 20+ year history of ATE program monitoring to determine the program’s impact on two-year college students.