Leveraging Mixed Methods Designs for Promoting Evaluation and Evaluation Capacity Building

Abstract

Abstract: Limited evaluation capacity, power dynamics, and resource constraints act as organizational barriers that inhibit evaluations in higher education contexts. Evaluation capacity promotes evaluation and minimizes the impact of these barriers. Embedding a synergistic combination of qualitative and quantitative methods within an evaluation and evaluation capacity building (ECB) initiative was our attempt to address these organizational barriers. In this practice note, we illustrate how MM designs catalyze evaluative thinking that promotes evaluation and supports ECB efforts. Our use and integration of MM strategies to build evaluation capacity and infuse evaluation into organizational culture informs higher education evaluation capacity-building initiatives.