9612808 Yentsch The Education Development Center, Inc. will undertake an analysis of the effectiveness of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Minority Experiences programs on the ocean sciences. The focus of the evaluation is twofold: the work will provide an independent assessment of the short-term impact that these programs have had on the student participants, their mentors, the research/learning environment at the host institution and on the field of ocean sciences as a whole. Secondly, a community-based evaluation mechanism will be designed that is intended to provide NSF with a standardized framework for self-assessment and evaluation in a format that will be suitable for future electronic tracking.
