Evaluating the Upgrading of Technical Courses at Two-year Colleges: NSF's Advanced Technological Education Program: Volume 9

The findings from the evaluation of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program are described in a set of documents assembled by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. The documents were examined to determine what information was available on the use of advisory committees. The purpose of the analysis was to improve the effectiveness of ATE committees.

Limited information on the use of advisory committees was found in the data sources examined. The information that was available dealt primarily with centers and larger projects. Virtually no information was available on the use of advisory committees in the smaller ATE projects. These comprise 56% of the total number.

Generally, the reactions by ATE grantees toward committees was positive. They are commonly used in community colleges and in vocational/technical education programs. Most of those who responded found them useful for collaboration and identifying work force needs. However, a bias toward larger projects and the limited number of comments available precludes generalizations to the total population.

Because little is known about how ATE advisory committees function, their organization, and usefulness, especially among most of the grants, additional research is recommended. A set of research questions and a research design are suggested. Some preliminary ideas on the elements of effective advisory committees are presented.

Evaluation is claimed to be an important component of the Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program. However an issue exists about the ATE evaluation. Evidence is provided that suggests some evaluation is taking place, however the information is limited and some findings are contradictory.

Based on the findings, it is recommended that additional information be gathered to fill the knowledge gaps. There is uncertainty about the nature of the evaluation work, who is doing it, and how useful has it been to the projects and centers. A research design is presented to address these and other questions.