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Running head: Q CAFÉ 1 Q CAFÉ Patrick Fina & Hector Solis-Ortiz

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Running head: Q CAFÉ

1

Q CAFÉ

Patrick Fina & Hector Solis-Ortiz

Loyola University Chicago

December 1, 2014

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Table of Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 4

PROGRAM OVERVIEW............................................................................................................ 4History of LGBTQIA at Loyola University Chicago............................................................................4Program Context................................................................................................................................................ 4Departmental Overview...................................................................................................................................5Selection Criteria of Q Cafe...........................................................................................................................5Program Description.........................................................................................................................................5Program Purpose................................................................................................................................................6Conceptual Framework....................................................................................................................................7Current Research and Findings.....................................................................................................................8Stakeholders.........................................................................................................................................................8Direct Stakeholders...........................................................................................................................................9Indirect Stakeholders........................................................................................................................................9Marketing..............................................................................................................................................................9Past Assessments.............................................................................................................................................10

Logic Model............................................................................................................................. 10Inputs................................................................................................................................................................... 11Outputs................................................................................................................................................................12Outcomes........................................................................................................................................................... 13Assumptions......................................................................................................................................................14External Factors...............................................................................................................................................15

Evaluation Approach........................................................................................................... 15Evaluation Questions.....................................................................................................................................16Evaluation Standards......................................................................................................................................17

QUANTITATIVE APPROACH............................................................................................... 17Survey Population...........................................................................................................................................17Sampling Method............................................................................................................................................18Survey Overview.............................................................................................................................................18Evaluation Design...........................................................................................................................................18Survey Timeline..............................................................................................................................................19Response Rate.................................................................................................................................................. 19Incentives........................................................................................................................................................... 20Survey Instrument...........................................................................................................................................20Pilot Testing......................................................................................................................................................21Statistical Analysis..........................................................................................................................................22Final Report.......................................................................................................................................................23

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QUALITATIVE APPROACH.................................................................................................. 23Qualitative Approach Rationale.................................................................................................................23Focus Group Participation............................................................................................................................25Focus Group Protocol....................................................................................................................................26Focus Group Implementation......................................................................................................................27Focus Group Analysis...................................................................................................................................28Limitations.........................................................................................................................................................29Results Presentation.......................................................................................................................................29

Budget....................................................................................................................................... 30

Timeline................................................................................................................................... 30

Next Steps................................................................................................................................ 31

References............................................................................................................................... 32

APPENDICES........................................................................................................................... 33Appendix A: Q Cafe Logic Model............................................................................................................34Appendix B: Q Café Google Forms Survey..........................................................................................35Appendix C: Survey Construct Map.........................................................................................................37Appendix D: Focus Group Interview Protocol.....................................................................................39Appendix E: Q Café Consent Forms........................................................................................................43Appendix F: Email Communication Templates...................................................................................45Appendix G: Priori Construct Map...........................................................................................................47Appendix H: Budget......................................................................................................................................48Appendix I: Timeline.....................................................................................................................................49Appendix J: PowerPoint Presentation......................................................................................................50

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Introduction

With a multitude of programming opportunities the both of us have experienced

and continue to coordinate throughout our higher education experience, we both found

the unique combination of fusing the concept of community, art, and identity, in an open

mic night intriguing. While programs are often very cut and dry – focusing on agendas,

detailed information, significant pre-planning, and incredibly specific and detailed

learning objectives, the fluid nature of Q Café was something that was incredibly

interesting to both of us from an evaluation and assessment point of view. By exploring

these concepts through the grounded concepts of evaluation and assessment, we hope that

this document creates a sustainable plan to improve the program of Q Café and engage on

an even deeper and more meaningful level.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

History of LGBTQIA at Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago started creating specific programming for LGBTQI

(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex) (Loyola University

Chicago, 2014a). Approximately three years ago, starting off with what were then called

Ally Trainings, and a year later, adding what has become known as ‘Q-Café.’

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Program Context

LGBTQIA+ Programming at Loyola University Chicago currently is and has

been housed within the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs where

a graduate assistant, who is supervised by a program coordinator (who also coordinates

two other initiatives), executes most of the programming. As a Catholic, Jesuit

institution, the programs are explored not only on a level that focused on LGBTQIA

identity development, but also a level that is connected to Jesuit pedagogy and social

justice mission of the university.

Departmental Overview

Q-Café is a two-hour monthly program that is coordinated and implemented by

the Department of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. It is housed within the

larger umbrella of Q-Initiatives, which includes other programs such as Q-Grads

(described as informal spaces for graduate students), Q-Chat (described as an informal,

weekly community gathering space), and Q-Films (described as a monthly movie night

with an LGBTQI focus) (Loyola University Chicago, 2014b). These programs were all

introduced last year, when a graduate assistant for LGBTQIA+ initiatives was introduced

to the department.

Selection Criteria of Q Cafe

Out of all of the LGBTQI focused initiatives within the department, we chose to

focus specifically on Q Café. The program coordinator explained that Q Café has existed

the longest, has the most consistent structure, and is the most well-established and

recognizable program from the program coordinator’s perspective. By focusing on a

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program that is more than just a few months old, much of the noise in the data of growing

pains can possibly be avoided, as Q Films, Q Grads, Q Chat, etc. are undergoing constant

re-evaluation and tweaking.

Program Description

Q Café was designed to create a space for LGBTQI identified students to be

together in community in an off-campus environment – specifically, to create a space that

could possibly provide a more authentic and genuine conversation space due to the

cognitive dissonance that can sometimes be intertwined with LGBTQIA+ identities and

the Catholic tradition. When this environment was created, student response was

significant compared to other programs – a steady attendance between seven and 20

people has been the program’s fluctuating norm. While the religious culture and mission

of the school may oftentimes support LGBTQIA+ student identity development, there

have also been instances where significant controversy has arisen regarding Loyola’s

recognition of LGBTQIA+ community folks (“Loyola University Chicago,” 2013).

Program Purpose

Q Café is an open-mic night that was created three years ago to engage students

as well as Rogers Park and Edgewater community members through various forms of art.

At the time the program was initially created, there was a perceived lack of community

for LGBTQI individuals on campus, as stated in an informal conversation with the

program coordinator. Also, Q Café provides a space for its participants to have a space to

touch on issues of identity through art. Participants are encouraged to write poetry, play

music, show art and engage in a creative, fun and interactive way.

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The program is held at Metropolis Coffee Company (1039 W. Granville Ave.).

Metropolis Coffee Company is not only a local business that has rotating artists that

display their work, but also offers single-stall all gender inclusive restrooms, a point of

significance for many members of the LGBTQIA+ community. At Loyola, all restrooms

are current gendered, including the ones that are single stall, single occupancy – they are

presented as unisex/family restrooms. As many may not identify with the sole identity of

man or woman, having a restroom that does not force someone into a binary system of

living is an asset to the program.

Conceptual Framework

Our conceptual framework for this evaluative study will be to try and determine

whether Q Café is creating a space for LGBTQIA+ individuals to find community;

whether Q Cafe is a space that embraces identities through various forms of art and

expression; and that whether it is able to generate conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics

(i.e. identity, politics, art, etc.) among its participants.

Major components and activities of the program are all centered on these

overarching goals. Tying the goals to the program itself, a typical session includes the

typical components: First, the program hopes to engage in one-on-one check-ins to see

how these students are doing on a personal level. This is done by interacting with staff to

make sure that they feel that staff is invested in them as well as to determine what else

can be done to support its students.

Second, the program provides teambuilding activities with its students to get to

interact with one another, but also learn more about themselves by participating in social

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justice teambuilding activities. Most of the time some of these activities are reflective

exercises where they can speak about their intersecting identities and how it plays a part

into their development.

Third, the hope is that throughout these various activities they promote a good

sense of community. Community can mean various things, but the program hopes they

are able to connect with other students and hopefully gain meaningful relationships with

other students outside of the classroom.

The folks running the program sessions are all LGBTQIA+ identified staff,

graduate assistants, or student workers from the Department of Student Diversity &

Multicultural Affairs.

Current Research and Findings

The current research, specifically from the 2010 State of Higher Education for

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People, indicates that spaces like this can be

considered as part of campus’ potential best practices (Rankin et. al, 2010). The list of

potential best practices includes: Develop inclusive policies, demonstrate institution

commitment, integrate LGBTQQ issues and concerns in curricular and co-curricular

education, respond appropriately to anti-lgbtqq incidents/bias, create brave spaces for

student dialogues in on-campus housing, offer comprehensive counseling and healthcare,

and improve recruitment and retention efforts (Rankin et. al, 2010 p. 16 - 17). By

creating a space that has inclusive policies, is supported by the institution, and creates a

co-curricular space for LGBTQIA+ dialogues to occur, Q Café as a singular program is

including multiple best practices to create a needed space.

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Stakeholders

Stakeholders for this program include the students, faculty, staff, community

members, presenters/artists, Metropolis Coffee, and Loyola University Chicago as an

institution. While this sounds like an incredibly broad range of individuals and

organizations, utilizing the definition presented by Wholey et. al., (2010), stakeholders

are “individuals, groups, or organizations that can affect or are affected by an evaluation

process or its findings” (pg. 31).

Direct Stakeholders

The participants who directly are associated with the program – namely, students,

faculty, staff, Rogers Park community members, Edgewater community members, and

presenters/artists, are all engaged in the space and are a part of the overall experience.

These different folks, by participating in an experience together, hopefully co-construct

an environment that meets the intended goals and outcomes mentioned earlier. These

direct stakeholders are the individuals whose experiences are directly linked to the

program and its overall utility.

Indirect Stakeholders

Loyola University Chicago, as well as the Department of Student Diversity and

Multicultural Affairs, as supporters and funding sources of this program, have their name

and values directly linked and embedded within the execution of the program. The

Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, as well as Loyola as a whole

institution, benefit from an affirming space that creates a lasting impact on students and

community members.

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Marketing

Currently, staff members who work with the program have expressed some

frustration with not having a centralized marketing location. Staff have also expressed a

desire to see more engagement and solidarity with the LGBTQI community of Chicago.

Even with these concerns, though, the program has grown to a point where a venue

change to accommodate more attendees may be necessary. Metropolis Coffee is

comfortable in the staff’s eyes for under twenty people, but if there is an influx for open

mic performances, a larger space would need to be acquired. The location change could

possibly affect the budget – which currently includes only purchasing coffee, tea, and

pastries for attendees and $50 performance fees for guest artists – that would effect how

the finite resources of the LGBTQI Initiatives within the department would be

distributed.

Past Assessments

The program does have an assessment component and the data is collected each

time it convenes and is then stored for yearly reports that the Department of Student

Diversity & Multicultural Affairs creates. Currently, the assessment only asks a few

questions regarding community and support, but it could be changed to gather more data

that could create compelling suggestions to improve the program in the future.

Logic Model

In order to start and delve deeper into the evaluation process it is pivotal to begin

mapping out all that goes into program planning and reflect on the eventual results that

the program produces. It was important to create a logic model because it does not seem

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as though the program has been evaluated from all facets – specifically, the program’s

past evaluation has only focused on basic satisfaction and perception of community. The

hope is that with the logic model we get a more well-rounded view as to how the program

is put together from start to finish and see what factors inhibit the program from reaching

its full potential. The logic model consists of various aspects such as: inputs, outputs,

outcomes, assumptions and external factors these will all be analyzed throughout this

piece.

Specifically with regards to stakeholders (both direct and indirect), logic models

prove to be a concise telling of a program’s utility. As Wholey et. al,. (2010) stated, logic

models “can be the basis for a convincing story of the program’s expected performance”

(pg. 56). By using a logic model to generate a map of sorts to explain the expected

performance of a program, stakeholders can be best informed in their decisions and

perceptions of the program.

Inputs

The logic model that was created details the different facets that go into the

program. This logic model design can be found in Appendix A to get more of a visual

view of the factors that make up Q Café. The first of course were the inputs of the

program. The inputs are all the factors that go into making the program.

We made sure to state the inputs that are most pivotal to the implementation of

the monthly Q Café meetings that are continuously put on. Given the ever-changing

structure of the Division of Student Development, within which the Department of

Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is situated, there is significant drive to ensure

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that the use of university funds are tied directly to program outcomes and are used in a

way to benefit the institution and its community members. The majority of funding for Q

Café is directed to coffee and pastries, which in turn can then be explained through the

logic model as being intimate parts of creating a shared space and experience.

We also included the funding (approximately $50 for each performer) for each

individual that comes to engage and interact with Q Café. These performers have

included audio and visual artists, and are projected to include even more representation

from artistic endeavors – such as painters, yogis, theater instructors, and musicians.

The most pivotal input that must be acknowledged are the participants

themselves. If it were not for them there would not be a Q Café for two main reasons.

First, is the fact that this program is intended to provide them with a space to express

their artistic voice as well as dialogue about any personal issues they might need to

express. Often times these participants are not given the opportunity to do so and that is

why this program was implemented as part as the Q initiatives to make sure that

participants feel valued at the university. Also, Q Café provides a space folks to explore

identity through art. Participants are encouraged to write poetry, play music, show art

and engage in a creative, fun and interactive way.

Outputs

There were a few things that were considered when coming up with the actual

outputs of the program. We looked into the actual services that are provided to the

students that engage in the program. The participants are vital to making sure that the

activities that are put into place are successful. We found that students, staff, faculty and

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of course Metropolis coffee were important to the success of Q Café. Basic outputs

include students taking time to greet one another, gather coffee and pastries (provided by

the Department of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs), introducing an artistic

exercise or guest performer that identifies as LGBTQIA+, creating an open mic time for

participants to share what they choose to, and finally, ending the program with a large-

group processing conversation that focuses on the impact of art and sharing art with one

another. These outputs are referenced in Appendix A (the Logic Model) and are

designed from a programmatic view to create a space that is impactful and embraces the

experiences of its participants.

Outcomes

The third section of our logic model evaluates the short, medium, and long term

outcomes and goals of the program.

There were two short term outcomes that Q Café hopes to provide. Q Café makes

sure to have something for these students each month and the continually look forward to

attending. Having a reoccurring program from the university that creates a space for

LGBTQI identified individuals (not just from Loyola) shows the institutional support and

buy-in that can be perceived as sometimes lacking. The second outcome in this section is

to provide coffee and pastries for attendees – while not immediately something that

suggests importance and significance, the act of creating a shared experience in

community can lead to stronger bonds amongst participants.

There were a couple medium impacts that Q Café provides. This was mentioned

earlier in that this program provides a space, but more importantly it provides a space that

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can create cognitive dissonance in beginning stages of identity development. This is

done through the dialogues that are had each month, but it is also the intentional

conversations that are had with Metropolis Coffee to make sure that they are comfortable

with being the hosts for this program while serving as an ally for the Loyola community.

Most of the long-term goals are being achieved in giving students an artistic voice

to express their own identities. By creating intentional spaces that affirm and create an

area to explore identity, efficacy of the participants’ own lived truth and identity is a

hoped for by product for LGBTQIA+ individuals that attend Q Café sessions. There is

also a significant hope that the Rogers Park and Edgewater Communities will engage and

connect with the program as well.

Assumptions

The assumptions section of the logic model really drives the reasons as to why the

program is needed or made. We have made various assumptions about the program itself

as to whether the assumptions are valid is something that we plan on taking a look at as

we move farther along in the evaluation process. An assumption that is made is that the

program is effective based on prior information from assessments that the office gave to

its participants. The assessment was comprised of four questions, each centering on the

undefined notion of ‘community.’ By utilizing this information and integrating it into our

evaluation approach, we are automatically making the assumption that community is a

desired outcome, and an attainable one, when there have not been set parameters for it in

past evaluations. Every month Q café continues to gain more student attendance and

because of this we assume that the students enjoy it and therefore value it. By also not

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questioning the growth of Q Café and its implications, we are assuming that the growth

of the program is inherently positive for the longevity and nature of the space. We are

therefore not necessarily taking into consideration how artistic spaces may need more

intimacy and smaller numbers to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and safe to take

risks regarding personal identities.

We are also assuming that the communities of Rogers Park and Edgewater value

this program, and also want to be a part of it, based on information from informal

interviews with staff members. This assumption also includes the additional assumption

that the inclusion of community members in the space is beneficial to stakeholders,

without the evaluation or questioning of what a Loyola-only focused space could add or

detract from an experience.

External Factors

When looking at the external factors there were not very many based on the

surface level information that were shared with us from the program coordinator. This is

something that we have revisited as we delved deeper into the inner constructs of the

program. Some external factors that we did find were based whether or not the Rogers

Park community was invested in this program and if they saw any real value in it or know

that it exists. We also saw some external factors relating to attendance, specifically in

winter months, as well as during peak times for student engagement.

Evaluation Approach

For our evaluation plan, we both feel strongly to utilize the formative approach,

defined by Wholey et. al., (2010) as being a way to improve a program’s implementation.

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The program is supported by the department and university and has existing assessment

data from participants that show it is valued and desired. Rather than evaluating if the

program should or should not exist, by focusing on formative assessment, we can

evaluate the best practices and ways to improve the program given all of its factors

(internal and external) the program can move to a place of perhaps even flourishing,

rather than just succeeding. While the program creates spaces and conversations

currently, its impact is focused and oftentimes limited to the occurrence and space that it

is presently in – by creating a flourishing program, these conversations and spaces could

be recreated by participants as smaller, more intimate Q Café sessions amongst their

peers, friends, etc., rather than only occurring at a set space and time.

This approach will allow us to assess how to improve the experience for all

participants – those affiliated, as well as those not affiliated, with Loyola University

Chicago. This evaluation process seems appropriate because the staff members of the

Department of Student Diversity and multicultural Affairs are interested in improving the

program, as well as monitoring student learning through ongoing feedback and

assessment data. Specifically, we want to ensure with the formative approach that we

gather information that can demonstrate if participants find value in the space, and what

that may or may not look like for them.

We will be able to gather information and data from the participants and staff

members, two primary sets of stakeholders that have direct interaction with the program.

While the program is small by some standards, having approximately 45 different

participants over the course of an academic year, we will be able to gather the narratives

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of the participants and ensure a quantitative survey to construct overarching themes and

messages, which can then help inform best practices for the program.

By engaging directly with the stakeholders, we are able to gather personal

feedback and testimony from virtually all of the direct participants. Since this program is

so multifaceted and has such a variety of different stakeholders, utilizing multiple

formative assessment approaches allows for the most voices to be heard and the clearest

picture to emerge.

Evaluation Questions

Revisiting our conceptual framework the evaluative questions that will guide this

project are whether Q Café is creating a space for LGBTQIA+ individuals to find

community; whether Q Cafe is a space that embraces identities through various forms of

art and expression; and that whether it is able to generate conversations about

LGBTQIA+ topics (i.e. identity, politics, art, etc.) among its participants.

Evaluation Standards

We also want to ensure that when we are able to discern data that is significant to

our study and findings that it only shows valid results, and does not suggest causation for

unrelated variables. With a smaller sample size (again, approximately 45 participants),

ensuring our findings are statistically significant and not fluke coincidences will be

crucial to ensure that we only provide information rather than claiming causation.

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QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

Survey Population

The survey will be administered to all those that participate and attend Q Café

sessions throughout the academic year. Administrators of this survey will be the graduate

assistant and the program coordinator of the Department of Student Diversity and

Multicultural Affairs that lead the LGBTQIA+ initiatives. The sampling that we will be

using will be a census sampling method. Since there are about 45 participants that attend

Q Café throughout the year its manageable to outreach to these folks and receive

feedback.

Q Café is a program that is open to the general public.  The survey population will

be gathered from sign in sheets that are passed around by facilitators at the end of the

each Q Café session.  Q Cafe attendees may include (but are not limited to) Rogers Park

and Edgewater community members, Loyola student participants, Loyola staff and

faculty participants, and participants’ friends and supporters.  

Taking into consideration the sensitive nature of identity-based emails, facilitators

will ensure that emails never contain LGBTQIA+ related material in their subject line –

only in the body of the message – and participants will be blind-carbon-copied on the

message so that their email address is not inadvertently shared against their wills.

Sampling Method

Wholey et. al., (2010) suggests that census sampling would be useful when

interviewing or surveying an entire population especially when dealing with a small

sample size. Q Café participants are often repeat attendees, and there is an average range

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of seven to eighteen attendants that attend monthly. Overall, this program reaches

approximately 45 different participants over the course of an academic year. This is a

small population, which is why census sampling is the most efficient method for this

evaluation.

Survey Overview

The survey is designed to be a web-based Google form for ease of accessibility

for both the participants taking the survey, as well as the administrators interpreting the

data. Staff members who facilitate the space will keep the email addresses from sign in

sheets that were collected at the end of each session and utilize them to inform past

participants of upcoming Q Cafes. Using this contact method, a year-end survey to

assess the program’s overarching goals will be delivered electronically in a way of

communication that is already familiar and respects participants’ privacy.

Evaluation Design

The survey design that we will be working with will be a variation of quasi-

experimental design that incorporates a cross sectional approach. A quasi-experimental

design is a type of evaluation, which aims to determine whether a program has the effect

that the facilitators were hoping to achieve (Wholey et. al., 2010).

Acknowledging the fact that quasi-experimental and cross sectional is mutually an

exclusive approach we know that this study is more looking towards a pre-experimental,

cross-sectional design. We believe a cross-sectional approach would be beneficial in that

it is also an observational study, but would allow us to view numerous factors at once and

how they correlate to specific outcomes (Wholey et. al, 2010). This will allow us to gain

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more perspective not only regarding the program’s effectiveness, but to see how it affects

certain identities in the interpretation of the data. Since this is the case, we would not be

using a randomized sample.

With this design, we hope to be able to gather information on the following three

goals: whether Q Café is creating a space for LGBTQIA+ individuals to find community;

whether Q Cafe is a space that embraces identities through various forms of art and

expression; and whether it is able to generate conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics (i.e.

identity, politics, art, etc.) among its participants. These goals have never been assessed

to interpret whether the intended outcomes were being met. Our hope is that with this

tool we are able to gain more insight into the program.

Survey Timeline

The survey web link will be sent via email from the graduate assistant who runs

the program, Patrick Fina, following the final session of Q Cafe in April 2015. Reminder

emails will be sent once a week for two weeks, at the end of which the survey will close,

14 days from when it was first launched.

Response Rate

We hope for a 50% response rate, given that many of the participants are repeat

attendees that have previously engaged in the program. This participation and high buy-

in of the participants to create a student-driven space that gives their experience voice can

arguably solicit a significant amount of feedback, as they have been invested in the

program as stakeholders from its inception.

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Incentives

In a given year there are about 45 participants that attend Q Café throughout the

year because of this we would be sufficiently content with 20-25 responses to the survey.

. As an incentive the participants will also all be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift

card to Metropolis Coffee, where Q Cafe has taken place. Participants will need to

provide their email address within the survey (Appendix B) to be entered for the drawing.

This incentive would also further the relationship between Loyola University Chicago

and Metropolis Coffee by continuing patronage and support of the local business.

Survey Instrument

The survey instrument has a total of eighteen questions (Appendix B). The

majority of questions include Likert scales to gather information from participants about

their experience in the space. For instance, questions explore their experience with the

overall satisfaction of the program to whether or not this program fosters a sense of

community. The five demographic based questions utilize a response where multiple

check boxes can be included. The options also include an ‘other’ option where someone

can enter their own definition of their identity and/or perception. We wanted to create a

survey that honored the individual identities of Q Cafe participants, but still allowed for

data gathering and interpretation to happen in a smooth process. By providing some pre-

determined options, the coding and interpretation of data commands less clean-up work

on our part as researchers while allowing the participants to voice their individual

identities if they fall outside of the pre-determined categories.. The predetermined

options that would more than likely account for the majority of identities individuals’

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possess also makes the survey easier and faster to fill out. Our hope is that no one will

need to spend more than ten minutes on this quantitative aspect of the program

evaluation. This data, once collected, will be shared with Patrick Fina and the Program

Coordinator for LGBTQIA+ initiatives, Miguel Macias, who are the two individuals who

are most connected to the program in a staff capacity.

We do not believe the use of a control group would be necessary. A control

group would not be beneficial for this evaluation because we are not interested in

collecting data from individuals who do not attend Q Cafe. We have used the survey

construct map (Appendix C) as a way to ensure that the overarching goals of Q Cafe, as

well as demographic information that is pertinent to the concept of a space that focused

on aspects of identity are evaluated and assessed to an extent that does not overwhelm the

participant with an onslaught of questions. We also want the survey to gather a

significant amount of information to best understand where the program is succeeding,

and where it can be improved. These topics were specifically considered in the first

several questions in the online survey form, and were specifically tied in the survey

construct map (Appendix C) with the three different goals, which were coded as A, B,

and C.

Pilot Testing

Pilot testing is used to uncover problematic elements in a survey in order to have

time to make any necessary adjustments before the implementation phase (Schuh, 2009).

We will be conducting a pilot test with administrators in the Student Diversity and

Multicultural Affairs office to ensure that the questions that we are asking in the survey

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as not at all confusing or open to interpretational bias. This will be the first time that any

type of survey instrument of this nature will be used so it is important to find questions in

the survey that need to be altered. A pilot test will help make the survey as effective as

possible before sending it out to its respondents.

Statistical Analysis

Through this evaluative process we feel that the best way to look at our data and

make meaning of it is to use some simple data tables to compare means across different

populations. While anecdotal information alludes to a variety of identities feeling that Q

Cafe is a space for them, being able to explore multiple letters of the LGBTQIA+

acronym, as well as the multiplicity of other identities within the community, will help

paint a clearer picture as to what the respondents’ experiences are and if there is a

significance in different identities and their experience in the space.

To answer our evaluation questions from the survey we plan on using a

descriptive approach. Wholey et. al., defines descriptive statistics, “when any

phenomena are counted, the numbers can be tabulated according to a variety of

procedures” (p. 455). We will therefore use frequencies to explore categorical variables,

such as demographic questions, and means to analyze any of the continuous Likert type

scales that are going to be set in the survey.

We also use an ANOVA (analysis of variance), a statistical method in which the

variation in a set of observations is divided into distinct components, to investigate

further how different parts of the broader community evaluated the program. An

ANOVA can be used to compare the means of different Likert scale questions across

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different demographic groupings of 3 or more and really help in determining whether

those means are significantly different from one another. For example, the perception of

the space being welcoming depending on how the participant may identify - i.e. a

Transman from Rogers Park, as opposed to a Cisgender Woman affiliated with Loyola,

may have radically different experiences that are tied to how identities influence the

space.

Final Report

Depending on the amount of responses and the variance in the data, pie charts and

simple statistical tables will be utilized in the final report. Potential breakdowns include

Racial Identity, Gender Identity, Sexuality, and a multiplicity of different community

memberships (such as Loyola affiliated, Rogers Park residents, etc.).

The final report, while we have hopeful ideals for what it could look like, will be largely

based on the input of students during the quantitative and qualitative portions of this

assessment. While we are ideally hoping for a sample size large enough to constitute

multiple breakdowns according to social identities, if that is unable to happen due to

threats to significance since the sample size is so small, our final report could be changed

radically to reflect the data that was able to be gathered.

QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Qualitative Approach Rationale

After collecting the quantitative data from the survey, we plan on utilizing a focus

group approach to gain a richer understanding of participant’s experiences of Q Café.

According to Schuh (2009), focus groups are best utilized when looking to “uncover

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factors that influence opinions, behaviors, or motivation” (p. 69). A focus group would

be beneficial to ensure a number of other factors as well. Wholey et. al., (2010), noted

they are also valuable to gather information in the design phases of programs and

evaluations. For purposes of this evaluative study a focus group would help in evaluating

policy options in terms of how the program is structured or if respondents would be open

to changes to the program itself based on the data that will be collected.

The quantitative survey serves as the first step in gaining insight, but is limiting in

terms of understanding perceptions or opinions about the program. Wholey et. al. (2010),

suggest a focus group would help in understanding the quantitative findings from the

survey that would be sent out earlier to participants. For example, even though

participants might say that they would recommend this program to a friend it would help

in understanding what factors went into making that decision. This would be an instance

where the focus group would be used to expand on responses from the quantitative study.

This approach will address parts of the quantitative qualitative survey that we

would like to build upon such as the effect that art plays into the program and how

satisfied participants were with the structure of the program. This instrument will also

serve in delving deeper into certain topic areas that might have not been clear in the

survey instrument. These topics of interest are included in the focus group protocol and

address the following topics (See Appendix D): whether or not the program fosters a

strong sense of community; the overall satisfaction of the program; and potential

improvements that can be implemented.

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The qualitative data is going to focus more on process components related to the

art and satisfaction with the process. Most of the questions will deal with how

participants perceived the program after attending various sessions throughout the year.

By collecting this information we want to understand participants current view or

understanding of the purpose of Q Café and hopefully by incorporating both the findings

from the quantitative and qualitative approach we can infer what steps to take to move

forward in improving Q Café in the future.

Focus Group Participation

Ideally, we would like to have the entire population that attends Q Café to

participate in the focus group process. Anyone who provides interest in attending the

focus group through the quantitative survey will be contacted through a series of emails

(see Appendix F). The initial email will be sent out by facilitators and ask for

participants availability. Based on the respondents’ availability, a date and time will then

be set and sent to the respondents and they will be sent a confirmation email. We would

also send a final email to respondents that were not able to be a part of the study due to

conflicts with the scheduled time. We believe this final email would be important as a

common courtesy for those individuals who outreached and wanted to help in our study

and show our appreciation and thanks for being interested.

Schuh (2009) notes “maximum variation sampling…commonly use to capture

general themes or patterns when a variety of experiences or opinions exists” (p. 90). For

the purposes of this qualitative instrument we would employ a maximum variation

method in that we are looking to have both Loyola University Chicago members and

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community members be a part of the focus group itself. In the event that we receive the

50 percent response rate that we were looking for which in this case would be 20 to 25

participants there are a number of factors to consider of who would be chosen to be in the

focus group. There are a number of factors that would need to be taken into

consideration. We would have to consider that some of these respondents who are

interested in joining a focus group might not be available during the actual

implementation of the focus group. In the event that we have approximately 25

participants we would then implement two focus groups. Each of these groups would

have 10-12 participants and we would then try to apply that maximum variation sample.

The hope is that we would be able to gain a deeper understanding of how they view the

program in their own points of view according to the community that they belong to. Of

course, this is all dependent on the number of participants who express interest in

attending the sessions.

Focus Group Protocol

The Q Café focus group protocol will be used to collect data that is important in

understanding respondents overall experience (see Appendix D). The protocol gives the

evaluator an overall look as to what they are trying to accomplish and what topics will be

covered throughout the hour and half session. The focus group protocol will be broken

up into 4 sections: welcome/introductions; framing the focus group experience;

disbursement of consent forms (see Appendix E); and explanation of purpose and intent

of the Q Café program (see Appendix D). Participants will be informed that their

experience in the group will be completely confidential and only shared with staff

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members of the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. The

participants will be asked to introduce themselves and answer questions that revolve

around three topic areas: general reactions to the program, sense of community, and

overall satisfaction with the program.

To gain insight as to how long the focus group will take and whether or not the

questions would need to be modified a pilot test of the qualitative study will be

implemented. We will use a mock group of participants from those that participated in

the program last year. Facilitators would outreach to these students and will provide

them with lunch. This will give us adequate time to adjust the questions if need be and

get a sense of how long the focus group would take. This is also dependent on the

number of participants who attend the final focus group and that is going to determine

how long the instrument will truly last.

Focus Group Implementation

This focus group would ideally occur in late April, after the final Q Café session.

Two facilitators would be utilized – one to lead the discussion, and one to take notes.

Having the folks who coordinate Q Café removed from the space can also arguably create

a more comfortable environment and an environment where if there is critical feedback

regarding one of the staff members, it can be communicated without fear of repercussion.

The focus groups will be moderated by folks that identify within the LGBTQIA+

community that are not affiliated with the coordination and implementation of the

program. By having folks that are familiar with LGBTQIA+ terminology, the

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conversation can focus on Q Café, rather than having to have participants feel the

pressure to explain their identities and verbiage to the facilitators.

We would not be recording the session, as since the population of attendees is so

small, it would arguably be easy for a Q Café staff member to recognize an individual’s

voice on the recording. These focus groups would occur on campus, in a room with a

limited amount of glass (there are many ‘fishbowl’ type rooms that would want to be

avoided on campus) at a time that the participants are able to mutually make.  Two

incentives will be provided – dinner, more than likely catered from a local restaurant, as

well as the opportunity to be selected in a drawing for two $25 gift cards to Metropolis

Coffee, who host the space.  Notes will be taken, but audio recordings will be avoided

and not utilized.

Focus Group Analysis

For analyzing the focus groups, we would take notes and abbreviated

transcriptions during the actual focus group, use coding schemes and do some data

analysis rather than audio recording.  In the event that we received enough participants to

make two focus groups each one of these sessions will be transcribed. The facilitators

will then begin coding the transcript together and come to a conclusion of what patterns

or topics were discussed throughout the sessions.

The evaluators before entering the focus group constructed their own construct

map that developed a series of different priori codes and coding rubric these constructs

include: building community (COMM); programmatic improvements (IMPROVE);

overall satisfaction (SATIS); expression of art (ART) as described in Appendix G. These

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are the predetermined codes that the evaluators have come up with, but we also have to

be cognizant that as the hour and a half session goes on there might be new ideas that

need to be addressed or added to this construct map. Even though there will be two

facilitators throughout the focus group each one will have their own designated role in the

process as one facilitates the other will be transcribing, but they would work together to

interpret the codes. Member checking by using the general themes collected in the focus

groups, we would share back with the participants what our large perceptions and

overarching themes were. We would also let them know that we would be open to

sharing the writing version of our notes and findings before the final result is given to the

Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Wholey et. al., (2010), states “strategies to overcome the potential bias that can

arise from the use of a single method, single data source, single observer, or single

theoretical base.” (p. 446). The data will be triangulated with the initial quantitative

survey instrument in order to gain a richer understanding of their experience, but not

solely relying on one set of information and would be used to see where the similarities

and difference lie in each of the approaches.

Limitations

Limitations to this survey include its timeline, as well as its number of

participants. With such a short time frame for the event finishing, surveys being started,

and focus groups (marketed as conversation circles to potential participants) there are

several moving parts that need to be aligned perfectly.  As the potential entire population

of the program is about fifty people, even a fifty percent interest in participating in a

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focus group would have us at a maximum of three focus groups, if we include

approximately eight people in each. As the last Q Café occurs in April, and within a

month the school year is over and many of the participants leave the Chicago area, time is

a definite limiting factor in this study.

Results Presentation

For our final report presentation, we are hoping to use a few significant direct

quotes, but also hope to utilize tables that show the themes and codes that were captured

by the note taker during the focus group. The direct quotes will tie in and relate directly

to the tables that show the codes and themes (as well as the amount of times that a

potential snippet was coded into that code) to display significant overarching themes and

take-aways.

Budget

For the purposes of this evaluative study we have set a budget of $240 for the

year. The budget breakdown can be seen in Appendix H. We plan on setting aside $75

towards incentives that we plan on distributing to participants who plan on taking part in

the quantitative and qualitative survey. Then we allocated $150 towards food that will be

used to feed our focus group participants. The remainder of the money will be used for

paper to print out copies of our protocol instrument and consent forms for the focus group

implementation.

Timeline

For the purposes of the study we have set a timeline (see Appendix I) that will

span over the months of November to May of 2015. The timeline will begin with

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implementing the design tool and pilot testing it by November. December we will start

move towards finalizing the quantitative instrument and making the focus group protocol.

We would like to allot ourselves enough time to make sure that the questions being asked

make sense and will be beneficial towards the study. January to March will be used to

purchase incentives and start reserving space for the actually focus groups come April.

April will be the month where most of the implementation of the quantitative and

qualitative parts of the study will take place. Finally, May will be dedicated solely to just

analyzing the data and making next steps.

Next Steps

Towards the end of our evaluation process we will begin taking into consideration

everything that we have found throughout the study. Since the focus groups would take

place in the month of April we would use the month of May to analyze and put the final

report together. Based on our findings in both the quantitative and qualitative study we

would then infer and make appropriate suggestions to the program coordinator of the

Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs of what can be implemented

or changed if need be to make it a better experience for its participants.

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References

Loyola University Chicago - Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved

December 1, 2014, from

http://www.luc.edu/diversity/programs/lgbtqia/safespaceworkshops/

Loyola University Chicago - Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved

December 1, 2014, from http://www.luc.edu/diversity/programs/lgbtqia/q-

initiatives/

Loyola university chicago petitioned to allow gay weddings on campus. (2013,

November). Huffington Post. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/loyola-university-gay-weddings-

_n_4269328.html

Rankin, S., Weber, G. N., Blumenfeld, W. J., & Frazer, S. (2010). 2010 state of higher

education for lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people.

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Schuh, J.H. & Associates (2009). Assessment methods for student affairs. San Francisco,

CA: Jossey-Bass

Wholey, J.S., Hatry, H.P., & Newcomer, K.E. (Eds.) (2010). Handbook of practical

program evaluation (Third Edition). Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

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APPENDICES

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Appendix A: Q Cafe Logic Model

InputsOutputs Outcomes -- Impact

Activities Participation Short Medium Long

-Money/Budget

-Speakers

-Staff

-Faculty

-Metropolis/Venue

-Students

-Voice

-Food (Pastries/Coffee)

-Engaging in student check ins.-Teambuilding-Community Building-Identity/Art Performers

-Students-Staff-Faculty-Venue (Metropolis)

-Structured Community time once a month.

-For students to feel confident and comfortable in a safe space.

-Making them feel valued within the Loyola community.

-Making them feel like the have a voice in the space provided.

-Solidarity within Loyola LGBTQI community.-Engagement with the larger Rogers Park community.-Gives students an artistic/alternative voice that revolves around their identity.-Building efficacy amongst participants.

Assumptions External FactorsAssume that the program is effective.Assume that students enjoy/want it/need it/value itAssume that students feel supported in the space.Assume that students want to be there and engage in the programAssume that Metropolis Coffee enjoys hosting this monthly event.

Weather might prohibit students to getting to the space.Attendance can be an issue.Whether or not the larger Rogers Park community wants this program to occur.

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Appendix B: Q Café Google Forms Survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ZBiH5OwKP0NFT1ZrqI9ol2CnTIObUtdm5q6uSXrik5M/viewform

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Appendix C: Survey Construct Map

Goal/Purpose CodesGoal A. Create community for LGBTQIA+ folks.Goal B. Create a space to embrace identities through various forms of art and expression.Goal C. Create a space that generates conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics among its participants.D - Demographics: Information regarding identities of participants and instances P - Process: Aspects of the program that are not affiliated directly with goals.

Survey Construct MapGoal/Purpose Question # Question Type of Question ResponseA 1 Did you feel that Q Cafe was a welcoming

space?Likert Scale Required

A 2 This program fostered community for LGBTQIA+ people.

Likert Scale Required

B 3 This program started conversations about art and expression.

Likert Scale Required

C 4 This program started conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics.

Likert Scale Required

A 5 How many Q Cafes did you attend this year?

Drop down menu Required

P 6 I think the structure of Q Cafe was well planned.

Likert Scale Required

A/P 7 The time of the Q Cafe works well for my schedule.

Likert Scale Required

A/P 8 The day of the Q Cafe works well for my schedule.

Likert Scale Required

A/D/P 9 I would recommend Q Café to a friend. Likert Scale RequiredA/D/P 10 I would attend another Q Cafe in the

future.Likert Scale Required

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P 11 If you have any additional comments regarding the structure and planning of Q Cafe, please enter it below.

Paragraph text submission

Optional

A/B/C/D/P 12 Please provide your email address if you would like to be considered as a part of a focus group to help us better understand how to improve Q Cafe.

Text submission Optional

D 13 What is your gender identity? Checkboxes RequiredD 14 What is your sexuality? Checkboxes RequiredD 15 What is your racial identity? Checkboxes RequiredD 16 What area do you currently live in? Checkboxes RequiredD 17 Are you affiliated with Loyola University

Chicago?Checkboxes Required

D/P 18 How did you hear about Q-Cafe sessions? Checkboxes OptionalA/B/C/D/P 19 Please provide your email address if you

would like to receive emails regarding LGTBQIA+ Community activities from the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Text submission Optional

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Appendix D: Focus Group Interview Protocol

Intended goals of Q Café:

1. To assess satisfaction in the implementation of the program.

2. To find out what improvements can be done to the program to enhance the participant’s experience.

3. Whether or not the program fosters a sense of community.

Purpose of focus group:

We are looking to gain perspective to see whether or not these intended goals are actually coming to fruition.

Focus Group Script

1. Welcome and Introductions:Thank you for joining us today! My name is (insert name here) and I will be facilitating our conversation today. We are excited to gain feedback around Q Café, and learn what we can do to enhance your experience in the program.

2. Framing the experience:We will be spending the next hour and a half together to talk about your experience with the program. Throughout the focus group please feel free to eat your food we just ask that we try and stay focused. We want this experience to be very conversational so please feel free to be honest and candid with your responses as this will help in making Q Café a better experience for you all.

3. Pass out consent forms and speak about audio recording:Your information will be kept completely confidential and anything that is shared in this room will be presented to staff members without any identifying information associated with it. We also want to ask all of you to hold each other’s experiences and stories confidential as well. What is shared in our conversations today will remain here. If you have additional questions regarding confidentiality, we are happy to answer those questions at this point.

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We will now be passing out the consent form-please take your time and read it on your own and sign if you agree to the terms in question.

By signing this form you will allow us to use direct quotes and summaries of your experiences to improve current programming within Q Café. If you are uncomfortable signing, we completely understand [Wait and see if any participants would like to leave. If they decided not to participate in the study please thank them for coming and excuse them from the space].

Are there any questions before we begin? (see consent form)

4. Explain Purpose and Intent of the program:Q Café has three goals: 1. to create a space for LGBTQIA+ folks to find community; 2. to embrace identities through various forms of art and expression; 3. to generate conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics (i.e. identity, politics, art, etc). We are looking to gain perspective to see whether or not these intended goals are actually coming to fruition.

5. Start the focus groupWith that being said it’s time to begin! Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Please state your name, your affiliation with Loyola or not and what neighborhood you reside in.

QuestionsGeneral Reactions of Program: We are going to being today’s conversation by starting with some questions about your general reactions and perceptions of Q Café.

1. What sparked your interest in attending Q Café?a. Probe: What did you expect to learn or gain from attending Q Café?

2. Please tell us about your overall experience of Q Cafe.a. Probe: What aspects of Q Café did you like?b. Probe: What are some things that you didn’t like?c. Probe: What, if anything, did you find valuable about the program?

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d. Probe: What, if any, of the guest performances were memorable? Why?e. Probe: Did you perform? If not, can you tell me why not?

3. Tell me about the most memorable performances that you remember from Q Café? (Make this an opening)a. Probe: What about those performances was memorable?b. Probe: Did you perform? If not, can you tell me why not?

Sense of Community: Thank you for sharing your general thoughts on Q Café. We next want to talk to you about the topic of community, specifically within the Q Café setting.

1. In what ways, if any, did Q Café help you to develop new friendships?a. Probe: What was your experience like in terms of interacting with different people who attended Q Café?

2. What types of conversations did you have with other people who attended Q Café? a. Probe: Did they occur in the space? Out of the space?b. Probe: To what extent, if any, did your conversations center around identity?

Satisfaction with the Program: Thank you for sharing with us your experiences around finding community, friendships, and relationships in Q Café. At this point we would like to ask you about your satisfaction with the program.

1. Overall, how satisfied were you with Q Cafe?a. Probe: Why/Why not?

2. What, if anything, can be improved about Q Café?a. Probe: What aspects of the program do you feel you might want to see more structure in?b. Probe: Do you believe it should be restructured completely?c. Probe: What should stay the same?

3. What did you think about the program’s reach to both Loyola and non-Loyola affiliated folks?a. Probe: How do you feel about community members/faculty/staff being part of the program

4. Would you recommend this program to a friend?a. Probe: Why or why not?

5. Do you like attending the program at Metropolis Coffee?

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a. Probe: Would you like to see this hosted somewhere else?

Conclusion: Thank you once again for sharing your time with us. We know Q Café that you are all the experts when it comes to whether or not the program is meaningful and effective. It is very important to us to hear your honest feedback so we can continually improve the program. If you would like to stay and review with us what we found the overall themes to be, you are more than welcome to do so – we can also email you a copy of a written report, if you would prefer to see a draft of the information that will be shared with the program coordinators. You all are now free to go!

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Appendix E: Q Café Consent Forms

Introduction and Purpose:

This focus group is intended to collect information that is pertinent to learning more about your experience with the Q Café program. You have been invited to participate in this designated focus group after you have specifically expressed interest on a survey that was distributed to you. Please make sure to read this form carefully to ensure you are informed of the steps of the focus group and what is going to be asked of you.

Procedures:

If you agree to participate in this focus group know that it will last approximately an hour and a half. You will be asked a series of questions that ask you to reflect on your experiences within the program. Know that we hope that you are continually answering truthfully and candidly through the process. If at any time you feel uncomfortable answering a question please know that you can choose to refuse to answer at any time. However, we do expect you actively participate as much as possible as long as you feel comfortable. This focus group is completely voluntary and if you choose to withdraw your participation at any point feel free to let the facilitator know and they can excuse you out of the room.

At the end of this focus group you will all be entered for a drawing to win one of two $25 gift cards for Metropolis Coffee. The winners will be emailed directly.

Confidentiality/Risks:

This focus group will be completely anonymous and everything that you say today will not have your name attributed to it. We hope that by taking these steps it minimizes any risks towards revealing your identity. The information will be completely confidential and shared with staff members from the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (SDMA) at Loyola University Chicago. We ask all participants respect one another’s confidentiality and hope that anything that is shared in this stays in the room.

Contacts and Questions:

If you have any questions as you progress through the focus group please ask your facilitator, you may also contact Miguel Macias, program coordinator for SDMA at [email protected].

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Statement of Consent:

Your signature below indicates that you took the time to read this form and understand the full scope of what this focus group will entail. We will provide you with a copy of this consent form as well to keep for your records.

Participant Signature:______________________ Date:___________________

Evaluators Signature:______________________ Date:___________________

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Appendix F: Email Communication Templates

Email #1: Soliciting Availability

Hello, and thank you for submitting your contact information to be a part of a feedback circle! This feedback circle is designed to help us understand our successes and areas for improvement from Q Café this year. Professional staff who coordinated and/or facilitated Q Café, will NOT be present for these feedback circles, and we will do all in our power to ensure confidentiality.

Please fill out the availability form at the link below. We will utilize the availability of a specific number of participants to schedule these feedback circles.

<link>

We may not be able to offer everyone an opportunity to be a part of a feedback circle. We thank you in advance for your understanding, and are excited that you want to take an opportunity to help us improve Q Café!

Best,

(NAME)

Email #2: Confirming Attendance

Hello, and thank you for sharing your availability to participate in a feedback circle!

Your availability matches perfectly with one of our feedback circles, which will take place from TIME to TIME on DAY, DATE, in LOCATION.

Please respond to this message to confirm that this time still works well for you.

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We thank you so much for being a part of the process of creating a better Q Café! As our thanks, we will be offering FOOD ITEMS HERE AND DRINKS TOO during this feedback circle, and will also be entering you to win one of two $25 gift cards to Metropolis Coffee! If you win, we will contact you directly via this email address.

Best,

(NAME)

Email #3: Informing of Inability to Schedule

Hello, and thank you for sharing your availability to participate in a feedback circle. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a time that fits your availability.

While we are unable to offer you a chance to be in our feedback circle, we do invite you to submit any feedback or insights you feel are important regarding Q Café to us at this email address. We will do all in our power to keep messages anonymous and confidential.

Best,

(NAME)

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Appendix G: Priori Construct Map

Construct Code(s) Meaning DefinitionsCOMM Building Community Q Café did or did not provide a

space for individuals to build community amongst the Loyola community and the larger Rogers Park, Edgewater communities

IMPROVE Programmatic Improvements Participants suggested improvements for Q Café anywhere from programmatic setup to venue.

SATIS Overall Satisfaction Participants expressed their overall satisfaction with the program and whether or not they would continue coming.

ART Expression of Art Q Café did or did not have an opportunity to express themselves through art i.e. playing instruments, performing or had an opportunity to view the guest performers.

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Appendix H: Budget

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Appendix I: Timeline

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Appendix J: PowerPoint Presentation

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