Conceptual Planning
For many of Institute's clients, evaluation begins with the process of conceptual planning. This phase incorporates elements such as:
- Clarification and refinement of project goals and outcomes
- Needs assessment
- Discussion of methodologies and instruments
- Process and schedule development
The Institute has provided conceptual planning support, in varying capacities, to a diverse group of institutions and organizations. We can even help you think through the details of projects and proposals aimed to secure grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Examples of ILI conceptual planning projects include:
- Science Education Partnership
(SEP) - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA. Over the last 3 years, ILI has been working with the SEP project team to clarify programmatic goals and develop a logic model - a visual representation of the SEP program - that ties together the activities the program undertakes and the outcomes it hopes to achieve. Working together, ILI and the SEP team have then developed extensive evaluation questions that link directly to each anticipated outcome, allowing a detailed analysis of the successes of the program.
- CONNECT - Designing the Classroom of Tomorrow by using Advanced Technologies to Connect Formal and Informal Environments. ILI received funding from NSF to serve as an informal learning and evaluation advisor for this European Collaboration spanning 15 institutions in 11 countries. Our work included theoretical and conceptual planning of the web-based platform, the augmented reality interactives and evaluation design.
