About the Evaluator
Dr. Victoria J. Bigelow is a seasoned evaluator and researcher at the University of Michigan with extensive experience leading program evaluations of varying size and complexity. Her portfolio includes multi-site initiatives, K–12–university partnerships, cross-unit U-M collaborations, and projects funded by federal, state, and foundation sources. She earned her PhD in Higher Education with a focus on Organizational Behavior and Assessment. She serves as Evaluation Coordinator at CEDER. In this role, she designs evaluation plans, leads teams, and mentors graduate-level evaluation interns. Her work spans grant writing, evaluation design and implementation, and client engagement. Dr. Bigelow specializes in qualitative and mixed methods and has published on educational equity and reform. She co-authored Left Behind: Urban High Schools and the Failure of Market Reform and has helped reestablish music education in Flint Community Schools.
Evaluation Background
I specialize in...
- Qualitative methods
- Quantitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Culturally responsive evaluation
- Developmental evaluation
- Most significant change
- Participatory evaluation approaches
- Theory-driven evaluation
- Utilization-focused evaluation
I have worked with projects in the areas of:
- ATE projects
- NSF projects other than ATE (e.g., IUSE, S-STEM, AISL, HSI, ADVANCE)
- Projects at two-year colleges
- STEM education projects supported by funder other than NSF
Training and Certifications
Professional development workshops, webinars, or online courses on evaluation
Outside of Work, I enjoy...
Family activities, singing in choirs and professional opera choruses, acting as arts coordinator for the Flint School District.
A Successful Evaluation...
… includes client experiences and voices, and is actionable and useful.
My Working Style...
… is collaborative.
EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 2332143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.