Low Cost, High Quality Evaluations

The Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute (MESI) is an interdisciplinary training institute for evaluation studies at the University of Minnesota. MESI offers high quality, low cost evaluation services and evaluation training to community organizations and University programs. In these mutually beneficial partnerships, organizations/ programs receive the benefit of working with qualified evaluation students with close supervision and mentoring from MESI faculty and/or staff.MESI also helps organizations make connections to the broader University community.

Evaluation Services

Why do an evaluation?
Help design a project or program
Ensure program goals and objectives are being met
Identify what works well, what does not, and why
Identify program areas that need improvement
Inform decisions regarding the program
Report on progress and communicate a program's value
Understand variations in implementation and outcomes across subgroups or sites
Systematically document practitioner and participant experiences
Fulfill reporting requirements

What might evaluation include?
Evaluation design and planning

Evaluation design review

Survey design and administration

Focus group design and facilitation

Community stakeholder engagement with evaluation

Analysis of existing data

Presenting evaluation findings

Evaluation Training and Professional Development

Areas of training and professional development
Building evaluation capacity
Basic evaluation skills

Evaluation methods

Writing your evaluation plan

Writing the evaluation component of your grant proposal

Opportunities for training and professional development
MESI Spring Conference

MESI Summer Institute

Training customized to your organization's needs

Evaluation Certificate Program

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How much does it cost?
The cost of an evaluation is entirely dependent upon the scope and nature of the evaluation activities and measures requested. Typical MESI evaluations range from $3,000 to $25,000 depending on the size of the student evaluation team, the level of student experience, and the degree of MESI staff and faculty support.**