Applied Research & Evaluation Services

Applied Research & Evaluation Services

APPLIED RESEARCH AND EVALUATION SERVICES
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Details

Year Established: 1986

Total Sales ($CDN): $500,000 - $1,000,000

Number of Employees: 11

Company Information

Robert Taylor
Title: Director
Area of Responsibility: Management Executive
Telephone: (604) 822-6009
Fax: (606) 822-9144

Michael Marshall
Title: Director
Area of Responsibility: Management Executive
Telephone: (604) 822-6009
Fax: (604) 822-9144

Services

Applied Research And Evaluation Services