|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TPL World Bridge
Evaluation and Dissemination
TPL World
Bridge will devote substantial resources to evaluation, in order to ascertain
how well any
or all of the
desired outcomes have been achieved. ...
Goals
The overall goals of the research will be to document and review
the methods and outcomes that emerge during project activities undertaken
as
part of TPL World Bridge and to report on the findings and make recommendations
to guide future efforts.
Research Design and Methodology The evaluation’s emphasis will be two-fold. First, using an observation process that draws on multiple data sources, the evaluators will collect, analyze and synthesize information. Second, the evaluators will work with the TPL partner organizations and individual participants to create an accurate and useful portrait of the methods and outcomes of the project. The report will include facts & figures (quantitative and qualitative information systematically gathered), impressions (often hidden opinions, biases, concerns, etc.), stories (anecdotes, testimonials, myths that offer depth, perspective and meaning), images (that expand upon and illustrate the research data).
Evaluation Plans (questions)
The threshold questions being addressed
by this inquiry are: ASSUMPTIONS What were the various definitions
of success held
by Partners, collaborators and participants going into the project?
Did these success
definitions change? If so, how? COLLABORATIONS What were the tangible
outcomes of the collaborations? What critical methods/strategies did
collaborators
use during the project? PROCESS Did network and studio technology help
or hinder
implementation of project goals? How? In what ways did the TPL arts-based
performance coaching model advance or limit the project goals? IMPACT
What impact did collaborators
have on each other during the course of their work? On community participants?
What short and long-term impact did the project have on TPL, Partners
and their constituencies and respective fields?
Evaluation Plans
(data collection and analysis)
Evaluators will review
and compare the information gathered and summarized from the multiple
sources and methodologies
described in 7 Evaluation Phases deployed over two years. Narrative
and other
qualitative responses will be compared to quantitative and documentary
data to check for consistency of findings across sources. The data
will then be
used
to address the threshold questions articulated in this Narrative
and ascertain which of the project’s desired outcomes have
been achieved. Evaluators will also use the data to compare and contrast
the project experience from
a number of different perspectives. An important part of the analysis
will focus
on learning how partnerships of this kind can be designed and supported
in ways to maximize the potential for effective collaboration and
creativity.
Implementation of Findings
The last two months of the project (Months
23 and 24) will be devoted to preparation of a final report on
cumulative findings.
This report will take care to distinguish between conclusions,
findings and recommendations that are project-specific and those
that might
be applied
to
broader questions
about creative collaborations between the arts and community-based
constituencies.
Dissemination
Evaluators’ findings will be published on the
project website. TPL World Bridge will also distribute an abridged
print version
of the main
points of the Cumulative Report to key members of the arts and arts
education communities.
These include state agencies for Educational Standards; the membership
of national arts service organizations (Theatre Communications Group,
DanceUSA). Key technology
research organizations will also be targeted, including the Internet2
membership. TPL World Bridge collaborators abroad will receive materials
for distribution
to their constituencies. Each PARTNER will be asked to present at
industry conferences (Supercomputing Conference 2004, 2005) and national
symposia
of arts (DanceUSA)
and media organizations (PBS Annual Meeting). Opportunities for media
presentations will be explored (J. Paul Getty Museum).
