As a founding member of the STEM Education and Training Evaluation TIG, I have been privileged to witness the birth, growth, and impact of the TIG over its first decade of existence. I am Kim Kelly, an educator, research analyst, program evaluator, and grant writer in STEM education and workforce development for 20 years.
Since the global coronavirus pandemic drastically altered daily life, I have repeatedly witnessed the matchless value of collaboration in achieving the goals of STEM innovations. Critically, collaborative practice shows promise in promoting a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive STEM education and workforce development ecosystem.
Lessons Learned
We employed collaborative outreach strategies to expand the impact of the STEM TIG over time, beginning within the TIG and branching out across the STEM ecosystem. From the beginning, TIG leaders responded to the needs of members. A common request was the identification of evaluation tools and instruments to use in assessing STEM program outcomes. This led to conference sessions focused on thecuration of evaluation resources and instruments in an online repository. Over several years, evaluation practitioners from multiple TIGs, institutions and organizations energized this effort, particularly those interested in resources for building capacity in the evaluation of computer science education.
An empowerment evaluation process successfully engaged these many voices in shaping the mission and working agenda of the STEM TIG. Using virtual spreadsheets, participants established a shared understanding of the TIG’s mission, identified core activities to fulfill this mission, and engaged members in working groups to implement these activities.
The STEM TIG demonstrated impressive growth in its membership and leadership team. Our leadership team began as a group of five with three positions to a current team of 34 with six positions and multiple members at large (a 580% increase). Our membership has grown from being the smallest of 49 TIGs with 82 members in our inaugural 2013 conference. We currently rank 34th out of 60 TIGs with 241 members (a 193% increase).
Rad Resources
The TIG currently supports three venues to connect directly with us. Explore the STEM TIG by visiting the STEM TIG website where you can find more detail about our activities and events.
Virtual Collaboration Events 2022
- Open to all on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays each month from 4:30-5:30 PM EST on Zoom.
- Leadership team meetings occur the 2nd Thursday, with a focus on strategic planning
- TIG sponsored discussions and informal happy hours occur the 4th Thursday
Social Media Presence
- AEA STEM TIG website discussion board and online resources
- Annual AEA 365 TIG-sponsored blog posts
- Twitter @AEASTEMTIG
- LinkedIN STEM Education and Training Evaluation
Annual Conference 2022
Questions can be directed to program chairs ablackmon@ilearningconcepts.com, aswillia@nsf.gov, tom@gosheneducationconsulting.com
- Submit conference proposals to the STEM TIG
- Serve as a reviewer of submitted proposals
- Attend the STEM TIG business meeting, sponsored conference sessions and social events
Hot Tip
As the TIG celebrates its tenth year in AEA, we celebrate the good times we’ve had and the great things we’ve done. The STEM TIG offers insights to the field of STEM education and workforce development as well as partnership opportunities for both individual evaluators and the other 59 TIGs of the American Evaluation Association. Being a member of the TIG leadership team has inspired and sustained me in the evaluation profession over the past decade, and I encourage you to check us out and see what the STEM Education and Training Evaluation TIG can do for you!
The American Evaluation Association is hosting STEM Education and Training TIG Week with our colleagues in the STEM Education and Training Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our STEM TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.