Design Squad Global Summative Evaluation Report

In 2017, Concord Evaluation Group (CEG) conducted a summative evaluation of Design Squad Global (DSG). DSG is produced and managed by WGBH Educational Foundation. WGBH partnered with FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organizations working in 70 countries, to implement DSG around the globe.

In the DSG program, children in afterschool and school clubs explored engineering through hands-on activities, such as designing and building an emergency shelter or a structure that could withstand an earthquake. Through DSG, children also had the chance to work alongside a partner club from another country. Partner clubs shared their experiences by exchanging design ideas, photos, and videos. DSG's goal was to help children develop their global competency by learning more about each other's cultures, communities, and lives.

DSG strove to provide real-world engineering projects that were meaningful and socially relevant to communities around the world, with the goal of helping children begin to see themselves as young engineers with the power to make a difference. DSG was designed to help children see engineering as a dynamic career path and an achievable goal. To that end, DSG's objective was to help children learn creative problem solving, the design process, science and engineering concepts in context, global competency, and teamwork, listening, and sharing.

This report provides an overview and analysis of CEG's evaluation study designed to assess the degree to which DSG achieved its intended impacts.