Evaluation Plan
The vision of this project is to promote academic achievement in information technology for at-risk middle and high school students in the Greater Lehigh Valley. It is expected that this activity will increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities involved in IT education and careers by exposing G7-12 students to interactive multimedia and inquiry-based learning experiences. Dr M. Jean Russo will be responsible for this aspect of the evaluation, and all data will be made available to the NSF. The evaluation will document the numbers of women and underrepresented minorities recruited as graduate assistants and undergraduate volunteers as well as the number of women and minorities participating in the summer, after school, and Saturday LAUNCH-IT Programs. Participating G7-12 students will be asked to complete a survey on their attitude toward careers in IT at the beginning of their involvement with the program and at the end of the session (whether that is end of the summer program or the end of the school year). Since this information is subjective and may not necessarily translate into the student pursuing further IT courses or IT careers, the evaluation will track by year the number of women and underrepresented minorities electing to take IT courses at Liberty and Dieruff High Schools. Currently, there are some archival records available at Dieruff, and Liberty will begin tracking this information as of fall 2005. If the program were having an effect, one would expect to see an increase in the numbers of the targeted students enrolling in IT-related courses. At the end of the school year, seniors participating in the program will participate in an Exit Survey to see whether they plan to include IT in their plans for college or career choice. In addition, the members of the teams, including faculty leaders, graduate assistants, and undergraduate volunteers will be asked to complete annual surveys on how participation in this program had an impact on their academic careers. They will also be asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the program and how it might be improved.