Hello. Welcome to the evaluation and proposal development platform. My name is Morgan Lett. I am the Operations Specialist at the Innovative Learning Center. I am your navigation guide for the evaluation and research platform. In this navigation video, I will show you how to access the training modules, reflection prompts, presenter biosketches, and additional grant writing support services.
To help you better understand how to navigate the site and access content, I will do a step-by-step walkthrough using screenshots of the platform and learning modules.
After registering and logging into the site, you should have received an email validating your registration. For future login, remember to bookmark the website for easy access. Also, save your password in your password save the file. Doing this will allow easy access in the future. When you return to the website, to log in, click on the “log in here” button at the top of the registration page. Do not re-register.
After you log in, you will be taken to the main content page. On the main content page, you will find a module overview, which provides a summary of each module. Read each module summary before starting. Modules must be completed in sequence. You have to finish module one before being able to advance to module two, for example. If you need to leave a module before completing it, remember to “log out” of the website each time. When you return to the site, you can log in again.
Many junior faculty on the tenure track must get off to a good start and sometimes can face difficulty with how to strategize their 5-year research plan to make tenure. In this workshop, participants will learn about how to structure a 5-year strategic plan. The workshop will focus on building an infrastructure within their research lab to advance their research line of inquiry using internal and external funding resources.
This module provides insight into how to search for funding opportunities that align with your research line of inquiry. In this module, the facilitator helps you identify external funding resources across multiple funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation, and other public and philanthropic foundations.
In this module, subject matter experts will focus on key differences between educational research and program evaluation. The prospective positions dictate the functionality of researchers’ and evaluators’ roles. Different functions result from maintaining narrow perspectives versus broad perspectives. Often researchers take a narrow perspective on one aspect of a program based upon an interest in a slice of the program story. Program evaluators usually take a broad view of the program and narrate all aspects of program implementation, even program aspects that generate research.
External evaluation reports too often function as bookshelf decoration. Instead of serving as a notebook that collects dust, evaluation plans need to be put to work. Evaluation plans need to work for the person developing or refining a program or product. This workshop will provide deep insight into how to build functional evaluation plans that work for the Principal Investigator or Program Director.
Dr. Angelique Tucker-Blackmon
Dr. Blackmon is the CEO and Director of Research and Evaluation at the Innovative Learning Center (ILC). ILC is an education, research, and data analytics firm. Dr. Blackmon earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies with an emphasis on Science Education from Emory University. She has a B.S. and an M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cultural Anthropology. Dr. Blackmon has an extensive background in developing and executing performance and impact-based evaluations. She has a deep knowledge of mixed methods research and general inferential statistics. She specializes in designing evaluation studies that measure cognitive and non-cognitive variables that influence students’ persistence in STEM. Dr. Blackmon was trained as a quantitative scientist specializing in culturally responsive science teaching and qualitative research methods. Before entering education, Dr. Blackmon worked as a Dow Chemical and 3M research chemist.
Dr. Kimberly Luthi
Dr. Kimberly Taylor has assisted faculty teams across institutions and departments on sponsored projects to improve student recruitment, persistence, and overall success in STEM programs. Over the past fifteen years, she has served in both management and leadership roles in higher education in a capacity that directly relates to the experiences needed for both operational and institutional effectiveness to support grant initiatives. Her experiences serving core leadership councils on grant pursuits at both public and private, 2-year and 4-year higher education institutions allow her to confidently lead faculty in securing funds from competitive federal and state funding sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Education, National Science Foundation, NIH, NEH, NEA, DoE, Department of Justice, National Security Agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration and other public and private funding sources.
As a member of professional grant affiliations, including the Florida Council for Resource Development and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Kimberly served as a team lead for the CASE Federal Funding Task Force and as the liaison for the Department of Labor under the CASE Federal Agency Liaison Committee. Along with remaining current on federal policy and available funding sources, Dr. Luthi enjoys working closely with grant teams that have positively impacted college students and the community. Dr. Luthi received her Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, a Master of Science in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide, and my Master of Science in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida.
Krista Gill
Krista Gill is a writer, resource development consultant, and social impact junkie based in Atlanta, Georgia. I help change¬makers translate their big, bold visions into written documents that are clear, compelling, and fundable! Working with nonprofit leaders, I helped raise over $7M for education programs, workforce development, affordable housing, food access, and community development. Working alongside incredible human beings who make a difference every day is truly a privilege.
I began this journey in 2011 as a substitute teacher in special needs classrooms. Students that many had labeled as “difficult” were my absolute favorite, and I soon decided to change my major to Human Services. I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and nonprofit Management in 2015 and moved from direct support to programmatic oversight and resource development. This allowed me to scale my impact beyond one-on-one interactions to entire organizations that are changing thousands of lives each year.
As a lifelong learner, I am thankful for opportunities to continue my education. I was selected as a Diversity Fellow through the Association of Fundraising Professionals and have earned certificates in nonprofit accounting and fundraising strategy and operations. I am also working towards conducting research to explore factors leading to greater societal resilience and compassion. Beyond formal learning and research, I enjoy connecting with family and friends, yoga, hiking, and painting. My ultimate goal is to leverage my time here on earth to magnify the good.
Morgan Lett
Morgan Lett is a passionate and punctual Atlanta-based project manager and operations specialist. A highlighted graduate of Georgia State University’s business management and marketing degree program, her areas of expertise include strategic planning and execution, software integration and automation, and technical writing. With over eight years of experience in hospitality management and small business development, Morgan is the lead operations and automation specialist at the Innovative Learning Center based in Atlanta, Georgia. Morgan’s unique operability to find and create win-win solutions for end-user groups while maintaining shareholder trust is her executive superpower.
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