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CIRTL Consulting

CIRTL Consulting

Build. Refine. Evaluate.

Evidence-based consulting for graduate student and postdoctoral professional development.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? 

  • You’re not sure whether your program is addressing the right needs.
  • Your program lacks a clear strategy and direction.
  • You need to demonstrate impact to campus leaders or funders but unsure how.
  • You’re collecting data but aren’t sure what to do with it.
  • You want to expand your program but don’t know where to start.
  • You need an achievable evaluation strategy that works with your current capacity.

CIRTL Consulting Can Help!

CIRTL Consulting works with you to create, strengthen, and evaluate professional development programs that prepare graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for future careers.

BUILD – Program Development

For institutions starting something new or redesigning an existing program or programs

Create effective, evidence-based professional development programs for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars designed for your institutional context. 

What’s Included: [minimized until you click on it]

  • Assessment of needs and available resources
  • Defining of program goals and learning outcomes 
  • Creation of overall program structure 
  • Development of a pedagogical strategy built on evidence-based practices
  • Creation of an evaluation plan with core metrics
  • Development of a sustainability plan

REFINE – Program Review

For institutions that already have a program and want to know what’s (not) working and what’s next

Deeply examine the effectiveness of programming, stakeholder perspectives, opportunities for growth, and develop an evidence-based strategy to overcome any barrier.

What’s Included: [minimized until you click on it]

  • Analysis of campus landscape and peer institutions
  • Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, & threats (SWOT) 
  • Mapping of program activities and short- to long-term outcomes
  • Analysis of curriculum and pedagogical strategies
  • Stakeholder feedback interviews
  • Creation of a strategic road map 

EVALUATE – Program Evaluation

For institutions that need credible evidence of impact

Leverage meaningful evidence of program impact to inform decision-making, demonstrate value, and support continued investment. 

What’s Included: [minimized until you click on it]

  • Creation of an evaluation plan & logic model 
  • Exploration of the alignment of program activities and short- to long-term outcomes
  • Instrument design
  • Data collection (qualitative, quantitative, & longitudinal [where possible])
  • Data analysis
  • Evaluation results reporting
  • Data-informed recommendations for program improvement

You don’t have to figure out graduate and postdoctoral professional development alone. Learn from more than 20 years of CIRTL experience developing, studying, and evaluating programs across institutions. CIRTL Consulting combines expertise in teaching and learning, professional development, program evaluation, and institutional change.

Schedule a free 30-minute conversation with CIRTL Consulting today! 

CIRTL Consulting is led by Lucas Hill (lhill6@wisc.edu) who is the Assistant Director of Research for the CIRTL Network. Lucas is an educational researcher, evaluator, and organizational change consultant with more than 10 years of experience with complex programs and initiatives.