Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) -- University of Michigan
CRLT's full-time evaluator and other instructional consultants provide assistance and expertise to help faculty conceptualize, develop, and carry out evaluations of educational innovations.
Evaluation for Curriculum Improvement
CRLT staff work with groups of faculty in departments or schools/colleges to review their current curricula, develop new curricular offerings, and evaluate the results of curricular changes. For example, CRLT conducts interviews and surveys with students and alumni to provide feedback about the effectiveness of a curriculum as a whole or a particular sequence of courses. CRLT also conducts focus groups with GSIs and faculty to assess the effectiveness of a unit's GSI training program, or conducts student focus groups to assess a unit's climate for learning. These services are provided at the request of a department or a school/college. CRLT analyzes and reports on the resulting data so that faculty have empirical evidence to use for decisions about improvements.
Evaluation for Educational Grants
Consultants assist faculty applying for external grants in areas of curricular and pedagogical innovation from such agencies as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institutute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). CRLT staff are also available to help design evaluation sections of grants for formative or summative purposes.