The impacts of using a collaborative evaluation approach in higher education: a case study of local YMCAs providing college access services

Public Deposited

Analytics

Last Modified

Creator

Abstract

This dissertation offers a case study of the YMCA of the USA's pilot Higher Education Service Project (YHESP) with 61 local YMCAs on how the collaborative evaluation approach functioned to facilitate an organizational culture around evaluation and reinvention strategies of YMCAs as college access service providers. Multiple data collection sources were used following this two-year pilot project cycle. Analysis of survey data, interviews, and archival information allowed significant themes to emerge and described YMCA participants' experiences of key aspects of impact of this collaborative evaluation approach that compel (or inhibit) YMCA organizations to willingly change the course of their program planning and implementation. The survey analysis revealed strong influence by the collaborative evaluation approach to support capacity building, evaluation knowledge, evaluation use, and stakeholder engagement. Especially significant from interview analysis was finding agreement by YMCAs of varying size and initial capacity to the use of collaborative evaluation as a tool to challenge dominant discourses of YMCAs as swim and gym facilities. Thus, program impact in this study was characterized by collaboration and capacity, with those staff who had limited initial evaluation capacity showing the greatest involvement in the evaluation and experiencing the greatest overall impact.

Date of publication