Applied Research & Evaluation Services
Vancouver, BC
Company Overview
APPLIED RESEARCH AND EVALUATION SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
- Overview
Applied Research and Evaluation Services (ARES) is an ancillary unit of the University of British Columbia and operates on a self-funding basis through a fee structure designed to recover all of its operating and capital expenses. ARES was established at UBC in 1986 with three professional and two support staff. It currently has seven full-time professional, fourteen part-time professional examination markers, two part-time research associates, and four full-time support staff. Depending on project demand, up to twenty additional temporary support staff are appointed. ARES provides a broad range of technical services in support of social science research, examination and certification programs, assessments of student achievement and attitudes, program evaluations, questionnaire and survey design, sample design and execution, data entry and processing, data management, and reporting. It serves the university community, other educational communities such as school districts and the Ministry of Education, Skills, and Training, health care agencies, and businesses.
- Location and Facilities
ARES is located in Room 6 (main office) and Room 2 (offices) of the Scarfe Building. Both areas were completely renovated in 1995 and a substantial upgrading of office furniture and equipment was undertaken at the same time. Both areas are well-lit and reasonably comfortable, although they lack natural light.
- Staff
ARES staff have a wide range of experience in local, provincial, national, and international testing, measurement, assessment, program evaluation, and survey research projects. Professional staff all have either university degrees and include the Executive Director, Director, Assistant Director (LPI), two programmers, a graphics designer, and the coordinator of ARES Language Proficiency Index Program. ARES two research associates hold doctoral degrees from the University of British Columbia and, like the Executive Director and Director, are former teachers or administrators.
- Products and Services
Language Proficiency Index ARES main products and services are connected with its Language Proficiency Index (LPI) examination program. This program provides a measure of candidates proficiency in written English and is used by the majority of post-secondary institutions (including UBC) in British Columbia to determine student eligibility for, and/or placement in, English courses. In addition, a number of individual programs (e. g., Real Estate, Justice Institute, Notaries Public) require a particular LPI standing before students are admitted to the program. The LPI is presently administered to over 18 000 candidates per year. Test Development ARES personnel have extensive experience in test development, including the Grade 12 Provincial Examination Program, the Provincial Learning Assessment Program, national and international achievement test development, and certification examination development for professional groups. Administration of Professional Certification Examinations ARES provides not only examination development services, but also administration and reporting services for various kinds of testing. Particularly important, from the view of the high stakes involved, are the administration and reporting of professional certification examinations. ARES is seeking to expand the range of clients by providing quality services and consultation to professional groups with an aim to improving their examination programs at reasonable cost. Technical Support Services ARES provides a range of social science research technical support services, including sample design and selection, instrument development, data collection, data entry and cleaning, and data analysis and reporting. A variety of clients, ranging from University faculty to outside consulting agencies, call on ARES expertise and experience in these areas. A marketing initiative to expand ARES client base is presently under way. ARES provides high-speed data entry through the development and use of machine-readable questionnaires and other data collection instruments. Manual entry and verification of data are also available. Analyses are conducted using the both commercial and proprietary programs. Program Evaluations ARES personnel have extensive experience in program evaluations, ranging from evaluations of school district programs, to conducting and reporting provincial assessments, to evaluations of rehabilitative services. In the case of newly funded programs, evaluation focuses on achievement of stated goals and on the programs impact. This kind of evaluation consolidates information in order to provide the kind of comprehensive picture that is needed by program administrators, policy makers, and funders.
Company Information
Physical Address
6-2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
CA
Mailing Address
6-2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
CA
Additional Details
Legal Name: Applied Research & Evaluation Services
Number of Employees: 11
CA
Contacts
Robert Taylor
Title: Director
Area of Responsibility: Management Executive
Phone: Show phone
Fax: Show fax
Michael Marshall
Title: Director
Area of Responsibility: Management Executive
Phone: Show phone
Fax: Show fax
Services
- Applied Research And Evaluation Services
NAICS Categories
Additional Information
611310