- 2021 -
Expanding Horizons
Project Details
Originally offered as a suite of workshops leading to a certificate in professional development, the Expanding Horizons program grew into a smorgasbord of programming designed to support graduate students’ academic, professional, and personal success. The offerings needed to be re-organized and re-branded to communicate the well-rounded nature of the collection.
Following this rapid evaluation, the formal certificate was dissolved and the offerings catalogued into a database of opportunities that participants may search with ease.
This project emerged during the PhD-CI evaluation, where our partner saw the value of our work and invited us to take on this inquiry as well.
Academia
Sector
2021
Year
Evaluation
Services
School of Graduate Studies (Queen’s University)
Student Co-Evaluator
Partners
Challenge
Reframe the offerings under an integrated skills-based framework that focuses on the core elements relevant to both graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.
Identify the main needs and wants of both graduate students and post-docs, and identify communication channels that can be used to reach these audiences with more success.
420 survey responses and the contributions of 8 focus group participants were analyzed.
Rapid
Utilization-focused
Appreciative Inquiry
Approach
Final documentation included:
Graphic representation of the program delivery and flow from partners to participants
Survey results contextualized by focus group quotes
Key considerations moving forward (4) detailed by suggested action steps (17)
Result
Partner feedback
When it comes to evaluating a specific program, Paisley is the person to contact. She takes time to understand the project, asks great questions and provides great insight for improvement moving forward. I wouldn't hesitate to use her services again.
— Colette Steer, School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at Queen’s University