Workforce Evaluation
National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT)
NCWIT has three strategies to accomplish the ultimate goal of IT professional workforce gender parity in 20 years. Their strategies are to: 1) build capacity for NCWIT member organizations, 2) create and distribute multimedia resources, and 3) propagate awareness and outreach.
The Center for Workforce Development is conducting a formative and summative evaluation of NCWIT, including an organizational effectiveness evaluation. All evaluation findings are reported back to NCWIT to encourage and facilitate mid-course corrections. The summative evaluation focuses on developing metrics to assess NCWIT goals and collecting the data for the metrics.
Center for Institutional Change, On-Ramps into Academia Workshops
Funded by NSF, On Ramps into Academia is a series of two-day workshops over a three-year period to provide practical tools and support to women who are interested in making the transition to academia. The goal of this proposed project is to increase the pool of women faculty available to all universities by providing professional development to Ph.D.-level women in industry or research laboratories. It is offered by the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change at the University of Washington.
The UW Center for Workforce Development serves as the evaluator of On-Ramps. The assessment plan is strongly directed at outcomes evaluation and will help identify concrete best practices to encourage women into faculty pathways.
Women Evolving Biological Sciences Symposia
Funded by NSF, Women Evolving Biological Science (WEBS) is an annual three-day symposium aimed at addressing the retention of female scientists and issues related to the transition of women from early career stages to tenure track positions and leadership roles in academic and research settings. The goal of WEBS is to significantly increase the retention and promotion of women in academia in the biological sciences in order to create greater diversity in academic and scientific leadership.
As the evaluator, CWD provides an outcomes evaluation and formative evaluation. Participants are tracked longitudinally to monitor changes in their career paths and the role of WEBS in providing guidance and support in their careers.
Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroSciences
Recently funded by the National Institutes of Health, BRAINS (Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroSciences) is a national program to accelerate and improve the career advancement of neuroscience postdoctoral researchers and assistant professors from underrepresented groups. The BRAINS program is designed to create unique, life-transforming experiences for 50 neuroscientists. BRAINS participants will become more dedicated to their scientific careers, better able to direct their careers, and more likely to achieve success in academic neuroscience. The BRAINS program goal is to increase engagement and retention of academic early-career neuroscientists from underrepresented groups by reducing isolation; providing tips, tools, and skills development to prepare for tenure track success; and increasing career self-efficacy. This goal will be met via three synergistic BRAINS activities: A) a national symposia; B) facilitated peer-mentoring circles; and c) inventing career teams. CWD will be responsible for the evaluation of this program.