Abstract
Despite the increasing investment in multi-year federally funded science and technology centers in universities, there are few studies of how these centers engage in learning and change based on information submitted from various agents in the oversight and evaluation process. One challenge is how to manage and respond to this evaluative information, especially when it is conflicting. Although the center can learn and adapt in response to this information, it can also become subject to a vicious circle of continuous restructuring and production of documentation to address various and potentially inconsistent recommendations. In this paper we illustrate the effects of such a dynamic based on our experiences as external evaluators of the $25 million NSF-funded Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center. The case study presents an analysis of annual reports and strategic planning documents along with other sources of evidence to illustrate the evolution of center organizational approaches in response to evaluations by external review panels, center evaluators, program managers, and other external stakeholders. We conclude with suggestions for how evaluators may help centers ease the cost of learning and reduce the likelihood of a vicious circle.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 13-20 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Evaluation and Program Planning |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2011 |
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Keywords
- Management
- Research center
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Strategy and Management
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Social Psychology
- Geography, Planning and Development
Cite this
Federally sponsored multidisciplinary research centers : Learning, evaluation, and vicious circles. / Youtie, Jan; Corley, Elizabeth.
In: Evaluation and Program Planning, Vol. 34, No. 1, 02.2011, p. 13-20.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Federally sponsored multidisciplinary research centers
T2 - Learning, evaluation, and vicious circles
AU - Youtie, Jan
AU - Corley, Elizabeth
PY - 2011/2
Y1 - 2011/2
N2 - Despite the increasing investment in multi-year federally funded science and technology centers in universities, there are few studies of how these centers engage in learning and change based on information submitted from various agents in the oversight and evaluation process. One challenge is how to manage and respond to this evaluative information, especially when it is conflicting. Although the center can learn and adapt in response to this information, it can also become subject to a vicious circle of continuous restructuring and production of documentation to address various and potentially inconsistent recommendations. In this paper we illustrate the effects of such a dynamic based on our experiences as external evaluators of the $25 million NSF-funded Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center. The case study presents an analysis of annual reports and strategic planning documents along with other sources of evidence to illustrate the evolution of center organizational approaches in response to evaluations by external review panels, center evaluators, program managers, and other external stakeholders. We conclude with suggestions for how evaluators may help centers ease the cost of learning and reduce the likelihood of a vicious circle.
AB - Despite the increasing investment in multi-year federally funded science and technology centers in universities, there are few studies of how these centers engage in learning and change based on information submitted from various agents in the oversight and evaluation process. One challenge is how to manage and respond to this evaluative information, especially when it is conflicting. Although the center can learn and adapt in response to this information, it can also become subject to a vicious circle of continuous restructuring and production of documentation to address various and potentially inconsistent recommendations. In this paper we illustrate the effects of such a dynamic based on our experiences as external evaluators of the $25 million NSF-funded Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center. The case study presents an analysis of annual reports and strategic planning documents along with other sources of evidence to illustrate the evolution of center organizational approaches in response to evaluations by external review panels, center evaluators, program managers, and other external stakeholders. We conclude with suggestions for how evaluators may help centers ease the cost of learning and reduce the likelihood of a vicious circle.
KW - Management
KW - Research center
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956485147&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77956485147&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2010.05.002
DO - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2010.05.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 20580089
AN - SCOPUS:77956485147
VL - 34
SP - 13
EP - 20
JO - Evaluation and Program Planning
JF - Evaluation and Program Planning
SN - 0149-7189
IS - 1
ER -