About Univation
Univation institute of Evaluation Dr. Beywl & Associates GmbH conducts evaluations, evaluation research and trainings in the field of (self) evaluation.
The institute emerged from the “Arbeitsstelle für Evaluation pädagogischer Dienstleistungen“ (office for the evaluation of educational services) at Cologne University. Formerly an Incorporated Society, it changed into a Limited Liability Corporation (GmbH) in 2003. Its shareholders are Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Beywl, Berthold Schobert (CEO), Susanne Mäder, Melanie Niestroj and Dr. Susanne Giel. The Company’s identifying features include the combination of evaluation praxis, research and training as well as its interdisciplinary approach and use of a wide variety of evaluation methods.
Our small internal team consists of seven scientific officers based at Cologne and Berlin and is supervised by Prof. Wolfgang Beywl. Our teams is complemented by external partners according to subject and mandate of the mandates, this being professionals or corporations/institutions that mostly we have worked with effectively in the past. That way, expertise in the different fields of evaluation is added to our methodological know-how. Ongoing qualification and training enables our personnel to enhance their skills and knowledge of evaluation models and techniques and makes sure, they conduct their work with the best possible results.
We seek to take an active part in the professionalization of evaluation for example by reflecting about evaluation models and methods. Members of our team have taken part in the foundation of the DeGEval (Society for Evaluation for Germany and Austria), have for many years been members of its board and do actively contribute to the work of its topic interest groups. Prof. Beywl has been the director of postgraduate study courses in evaluation at Bern University (Switzerland) and does now head the chair of `Bildungsmanagement sowie Schul- und Personalentwicklung´ (management of education, school and human ressources development) at the University of Applied Science Nordwestschweiz.
Since the 1990s Univation worked in the fields of (vocational) education and social services, later enhancing its field of work to labor market policy, social affairs, health and youth policy (among others). Clients are civil services, government agencies, foundations or private businesses.
During the years we often worked with international partners. Read more about out international projects.
According to our mission statement we always try to involve clients and stakeholders in developing designs and try to enhance their use and utilization of the evaluation and its results while aiming to safeguard their resources. We use the Gesellschaft für Evaluation’s (DeGEval) „Evaluation Standards“ as a point of reference for our work.
Read about what we could do for you and your organization .