Last week, Pennsylvania Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) successfully advanced and secured an FY23 Community Project Funding (CPF) grant in the amount of $716,000 to support an important project entitled West Chester University Moon Shot: I Want to STEM! The I Want to STEM! initiative is linked directly to WCUPA's high-profile Moon Shot for Equity mission, which is dedicated to closing equity gaps in student success and defying systemic barriers by 2030 so …
News and Updates
ChatGPT and Evaluation
There are a lot of discussions on what ChatGPT can and cannot do. There is no doubt that ChatGPT has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in AI developments in 2022. So, I woke up early (when the ChatGPT was not backed up and the traffic was much lighter) to have a nice chat with the ChatGPT. Wow! At first glance, it works like magic. I was blown over by the responses it gave me about small things and life in general. The responses I got after trying the first prompt command, the second …
1st Evaluation Report of 2023 Is Out
The 1st four-day work week of 2023 is almost done and we are glad to complete our first (of many!) evaluation reports for this year. We have a special place in our hearts for the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s #SSTEM programs that provide scholarships to talented STEM students with financial needs. We are currently engaged in completing evaluations of 10 S-STEM grants in AZ, CA, FL, KY, PA, MT, and TN. The vision of the Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program funded by the National …
Happy Nearly 2023!
"What are your NYE plans?" asked a friend over WhatsApp. I responded, "Just like the past few days, stay home, read a few articles that I have saved over the year, listen to the weekend news and podcast(s), cook and eat a regular Indian meal, watch a movie and most likely doze off before it's even over before 10 pm. And oh, post my last LI post for 2022!" Then she asked," Any new year's resolutions?" I thought to myself, are we still doing those these days? For someone who sometimes can't …
MNA’s 2022 Reports In Review
In 2022, we wrote many evaluation reports for our clients. 37 to be precise. And 366 to date (since 2004). Our philosophy for writing an evaluation report is simple: 1. Get to the point quickly. Brevity is critical to improving the odds that people actually read a report. 2. Substantiate "claims" with data written within the context of the project/program. 3. Know your audience. Make connections to them. 4. Highlight the good data (e.g., program, practices, policies) and the …
MNA’s 2022 Data Visualizations in Review
In 2022, we made a lot of graphs and figures for our evaluation reports for various clients. Knowing your audience, their data knowledge, and more importantly, their usage is really critical before making graphs. Data viz and infographics when planned and done well help everyone in these ways: 1. See the big picture. Add value and help to make sense of complicated data. 2. Inform the work and identify the significance of the work. 3. Make informed decisions. Engage the stakeholders …
On Reading And Enjoying Garam Masala Chai
If you are like me, these last few days of December will likely be slower than usual with time to relax and reflect (and trying to stay mostly indoors in these frigid weather conditions - the severe arctic freeze and bomb cyclone) with garam masala chai (hot Indian black tea with cream and sugar that is infused with freshly-grated ginger and/or crushed cardamon) and baked goods. More importantly, a sincere attempt to make time to read all those unopened, unread, saved (somewhere), multitude …
Happy Holidays!
Beginning today, most of us will (attempt to) log off and take a few days off to celebrate the holidays, be with family and friends; reflect, recoup, rejuvenate, and recharge. 2022 has been another productive year of collective thinking, collaborative work, and making a meaningful impact in various sectors: 1. Homelessness education 2. E-textbooks/Open Educational Resources 3. Digital Education and Access 4. MakerSpace 5. STEM Education 6. Teacher Preparation 7. After-school and …
One Last Look
Happy Monday! A quick health and wellness check: How are your fingernails? Didn't chew or bite them off during the FIFA 2022 finals yesterday? And the voice not too raspy, I presume (from screaming, etc!?) For the rest of us, it's back to business so here I am wrapping up (hopefully) the last evaluation report of 2022. We have completed numerous evaluation reports to date and it's always fun to keep count. It's No. 366 with this one going out of the mailbox soon. One last …
Of Soccer And Evaluation
And then there were two: Argentina vs. France. Only time shall tell who the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is going to be. Can't wait! Not sure how but this tweet made it to my feed yesterday, and I enjoyed it. It's from Ian King, about how weaknesses in all the teams in the competition emerge as it quickly unfolds, even after plenty of pre-tournament hype and predictions. Having said that, I simply can't buy the idea that France has been very lucky as many seem to suggest and debate. …