The Method to Our Madness

AI in Qualitative Research: Promise, Pitfalls, and the Human Element

Can AI really handle coding qualitative data, or is it just a shortcut that costs you in the end? In this episode, Stacey and Bill sit down with Dr. Asher Beckwitt, a res

Equipment Cut in Half: Lessons in Planning from Systems Engineering

In this episode, Stacey and Bill talk with Joan Wagner about how systems engineering and industrial engineering (IE) work together. The former includes defining and verif

Actionable Evaluation: From Health Data to Policy Recommendations

Focusing on policy recommendations as part of the evaluation is critical because health data without policy recommendations grounded in data creates a dangerous blind spo

Summer Vibes: Mixed Methods, Moose, and Making Deals

What do mixed methods interrupted time series designs, business development, and moose have in common? More than you might think. In this episode of The Method to Our Ma

Knowledge Maps: Seeing the Whole Picture

What if your logic model is too simple to capture how your program actually works? Hosts Dr. Stacey Merola, and Bill Pate sit down with Dr. Bernadette Wright to explore k

Culturally Responsive Evaluation: Listening Before Measuring

Dr. Stacey Merola and Bill Pate sit down with Dr. Toks Fashola, research professor at American University, to unpack what it really means to do culturally responsive prog

From Weeks to Minutes: How AI Is Transforming Research and Teaching

What if the most tedious parts of your research workflow could shrink from months to minutes? In this episode, hosts Stacey Merola and William Pate sit down with Ron Wils

The GovCon Stories Project: What Happens When Public Service Jobs Disappear

What does it mean to be “DOGEd”? In this powerful episode of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, hosts Stacey and Bill sit down with sociologist Tara Fannon, Ph.D. to unp

Residuals, Red Flags, and Reality: Lessons in Evaluation Management

In Episode 13 of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, we sit down with evaluation management expert Kirk Knestis to unpack the real-world challenges of managing evaluation

Training Tomorrow’s Evaluators in a Changing World

What does it take to prepare the next generation of evaluators to meet the challenges of a changing world? This episode dives into the shifting demands on the field, from

Logic Models: Keeping them Simple, Useful, and Dynamic

  Logic models don’t have to be complicated or static. In this conversation with guest Deborah Levy, Stacey and Bill discuss why simplicity matters, how logic models sho

The Practice and Judgement Behind Measuring Fidelity of Implementation

Fidelity of implementation is often talked about but rarely understood. In Episode 10 of The Method to Our Madness, Allan Porowski, Principal Associate at Abt Global, bri

Keeping Statistics Useful: From Descriptive Data to Meaningful Impact

In this episode of The Method to Our Madness, Stacey and Bill unpack the different types of statistics commonly used in program evaluation—and why “simple” doesn’t mean u

Different Types of Evaluation

What’s the difference between formative, process, outcome, and impact evaluation? When should you actually use each one? In this episode, Stacey and Bill break down the w

Smarter Bids, Better Wins: Business Development That Works

In this episode of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, we sit down with Rebecca Pitkow, a business development consultant with over 20 years of experience, to break down w

How to Get the Most Out of Attending Academic and Professional Conferences

Ever gone to a conference for the free swag and accidentally left with a career‑changing conversation? From data‑themed outfits to awkwardly empty presentation rooms, Sta

Introduction to Using Mixed Methods in Research

Episode 05:  Mixed methods with special guest John Hitchcock Have you ever wanted to know about using mixed methods in your research? Check out our latest podcast on mix

Research Ethics, Human Subjects Protections, and the Belmont Report

In this podcast episode we discuss the principles that guide the protection of human subjects in medical and behavioral research by reviewing one of the seminal pieces on

An Introduction to UX and Qualitative Research

In this episode, we go to Guatemala to chat with UX expert Anna Sandoval, Ph.D. about UX and qualitative research. UX research is the process of understanding user percep

Evaluation History and the Evidence Act: An Overview

  Join us as we explore the roots of evaluation and the Evidence Act in this episode. Notes and sources are available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pLF4kYfyg25E