I still draw from my experiences as a graduate student participating in large-scale technology program evaluations. I could not function effectively in my current administrative role if I did not know how to use various types of evaluations to make decisions. Please encourage your graduate students to take advantage of opportunities such as this one by the American Evaluation Association.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
AEA GRADUATE EDUCATION DIVERSITY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (GEDI)
DEADLINE: Friday, June 6, 2014
The
American Evaluation Association welcomes applications for its Graduate
Education Diversity Internship Program that provides paid internship and
training opportunities during the academic year. The GEDI program works
to engage and support students from groups traditionally
under-represented in the field of evaluation. The goals of the GEDI
Program are to:
- Expand the pool of graduate students of color
and from other under-represented groups who have extended their
research capacities to evaluation.
- Stimulate evaluation thinking concerning under-represented communities and culturally responsive evaluation.
- Deepen the evaluation profession's capacity to work in racially, ethnically and culturally diverse settings.
Interns
may come from a variety of disciplines, including public health,
education, political science, anthropology, psychology, sociology,
social work, and the natural sciences. Their commonality is a strong
background in research skills, an interest in extending their capacities
to the field of evaluation, and a commitment to thinking deeply about
culturally responsive evaluation practice.
The Internship:
Building on the training content described below, the interns work the
equivalent of approximately two days per week at an internship site near
their home institutions from approximately September 1 to July 1. The
interns may work on a single evaluation project or multiple projects at
the site, but all internship work is focused on building skills and
confidence in real-world evaluation practices. Interns receive a stipend
of $8,000 in recognition of their internship work based on completion
of the internship and satisfactory finalization of program requirements,
including any deliverables due to the host agency, progress reports,
and reflections on the internship experience.
Training and Networking Components:
It is assumed that students come to the program with basic qualitative
and quantitative research skills. The GEDI Program then works to extend
those skills to evaluation through multiple activities:
Fall Seminar.
A five-day intensive seminar, held in Claremont, California, provides
an orientation that expands the student's knowledge and understanding of
critical issues in evaluation, including thinking about building
evaluation capacities to work across cultures and diverse groups. The
interns complete a self-assessment in the Fall, clarifying their own
goals during program participation.
AEA Annual Conference.
Interns will spend a week at the American Evaluation Association annual
conference. While there, they attend (a) pre-conference workshops
selected to fill gaps in their knowledge and skills, (b) conference
sessions exploring the breadth and depth of the field, and (c) multiple
networking events to connect them with senior colleagues. The interns
also conduct a small-service learning project in the form of an
evaluation of one component of the conference.
Winter Seminar.
A three-day seminar, held in January or February, provides the students
with additional training, coaching on their evaluation projects, and
panel discussions with evaluation practitioners working in a range of
contexts.
Evaluation Project.
Interns will have the opportunity to provide support to an agency's
evaluation activities in close proximity to their graduate institution.
Interns will provide three updates on their evaluation project
activities as part of the internship program, describing and reflecting
on the application of their evaluation knowledge to the actual project
activities.
Monthly Webinars. The
students gather each month for a two-hour webinar to check in on
evaluation projects and site placements, add to existing skill-sets, and
learn from invited guest speakers.
AEA/CDC Summer Evaluation Institute.
The program ends with attendance at the Summer Evaluation Institute
held in Atlanta each June. There, students once again connect and
finalize project reporting, attend training workshops, and participate
in a graduation ceremony.
Specific Support Mechanisms: Interns are supported by colleagues at school, at their site placements, and within the sponsoring association:
An Academic Advisor.
The academic advisor at the Intern's home institution supports and
coordinates coursework and other activities, while helping to integrate
the internship program with the student's plan of study.
A Sponsoring Agency.
Students generally are matched with sponsoring agencies near their
graduate institution that provide the opportunity to perform evaluation
activities compatible with students' research interests and skills.
Supervising Mentor. A colleague at the host site with evaluation experience acts as a guide and mentor throughout the program.
GEDI Program Leadership.
GEDI Program Director and AEA President-Elect (2015) Dr. Stewart
Donaldson is an experienced evaluator. Working with a cadre of
colleagues, he, Co-Director Dr. Ashaki M. Jackson, and Program Liaison
John LaVelle oversee the curriculum and site placements. Throughout the
internship the leadership are available to guide, advise, and support
the interns in achieving their professional goals and the goals of the
program.
AEA Staff Support.
AEA staff provides logistical support throughout the internship.
Post-internship, they work to connect program graduates with
opportunities for leadership, participation, and networking within the
association.
Online Community. The GEDI cohort uses an online community space for checking in, turning in updates, asking questions, and informal networking.
Student Benefits:
Interns receive support from advisors and mentors, quality training
focused on evaluation, real-world work experience, registration waivers
and guidance at two professional evaluation conferences, and multiple
opportunities for professional networking. In recognition of the time
involved in the program (approximately 2 days per week), each intern
also receives a stipend and is reimbursed for major travel expenses
related to the program (airfare and shared hotel specifically), but is
responsible for travel incidentals (to and from home/airport, to/from
hotels, meals not taken together, etc.).
Eligibility: We seek students who are not already enrolled in an evaluation program/specialization or pursuing an evaluation degree who:
- Are
enrolled in a masters or doctoral-level program in the United States
and have completed the equivalent of one full year of graduate level
coursework;
- Are residing in the United States;
- Have already been exposed to research methods and substantive issues in their field of expertise;
- Demonstrate
via written essays the relevance of evaluation training to their career
plans and their commitment to culturally responsive practice;
- Are
eligible to work for pay in the United States outside of an academic
environment (non-U.S. citizens will be asked to provide documentation of
current eligibility); and
- Have support from his/her academic advisor.
Criteria for Selection:
The interns will be selected based on their completed applications,
materials provided, and subsequent finalist interviews focusing on:
- Their thinking around and commitment to culturally responsive evaluation practice;
- The alignment between their skills, aspirations, locale, and internship site placement needs;
- The quality of their academic, extracurricular, and personal experiences as preparation for GEDI; and
- Their capacity to carry out and complete the program, including support from an academic advisor
To apply:
Download the GEDI Application and return all requested materials via email as described on that document
on or before Friday, June 6, 2014.
Please note that it may take a few weeks to compile the requested
information and thus we recommend that you begin as soon as possible
before the deadline.
Questions: We recommend beginning by reviewing our
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Should you have further questions, please contact Program Liaison John LaVelle via email
gedi@eval.org with questions about the program.
More about the program: Go to the GEDI homepage
