Program Evaluation and Educational Research

Program Evaluation and Educational Research Group (PEER) Group is a service center within UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education offering high-quality evaluation, reporting and related research services for educational programs, grants and community-based organizations. Since it was first established in 2003, the group has successfully evaluated over $100 million in sponsored grant programs. PEER’s mission is to provide cost-effective program evaluation, along with related educational research and reporting services, to community agencies and other sponsored programs being conducted both within and outside UCF. As part of a leading metropolitan research university, PEER is committed to the pursuit of excellence and intellectual growth through many dedicated resources in the educational sector.

PEER Services

PEER faculty and program affiliates are experienced in planning, directing and conducting evaluations; developing surveys and test assessment; producing training materials; and analysis of outcome measures. PEER's support is provided in accordance with the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation's Program Evaluation Standards (Yarbrough, Shulha, Hopson, & Caruthers, 2011) and the Guiding Principles for Evaluators established by the American Evaluation Association (AEA).

We offer numerous services to meet project needs, including:

• Assistance with evaluation/assessment portions of grant writing
• Data and systems analysis
• Efficacy studies
• Implementation analysis
• Instrument design
• Logic modeling
• Longitudinal studies
• Needs assessments
• Outcome evaluation
• Professional presentations
• Qualitative and quantitative data analysis
• Report writing
• Usability studies

Typically, evaluations can involve developing logic models, designing experimental methods and/or instruments, conducting pilot studies, and analyzing data using accepted statistical or qualitative techniques.

How It Works

The PEER director works with contacts at the proposal stage to review program parameters, internal and external evaluation plans, and scope of work and schedule before providing limited support toward developing an evaluation plan. Because the real value in evaluation is that it seeks to improve upon a program, the group generally works collaboratively with the project team in meeting the evaluation requirements to support program improvement within an appropriate timeframe. The strength of PEER evaluations comes from a systematic team approach of continuous data collection, interpretation and adjustment, consistent with well-established standards. Teams are assembled by the PEER director based on the unique needs of each program. For more information, contact Bonnie Swan.

Evaluation Costs

PEER's proposed budget is written to be appropriate based on the sponsor's requirements, the statement of work, and the effort necessary to answer evaluation questions and/or demonstrate how well the project meets its intended outcomes. Historically, evaluation costs have ranged from 3% of the overall budget for an outcome evaluation to up to 15% for more rigorous evaluations. Specific amounts are negotiated based on the estimated costs. PEER often gets involved in developing an evaluation plan at the proposal stage so that the agreed-upon work plan can be included in the client's grant proposal.