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PODCAST

The Method to Our Madness

The Method to Our Madness is a podcast that explores the art, ethics, and impact of research and evaluation. Hosted by award-winning evaluator and musician Dr. Stacey Merola, and William Pate, who together have close to 50 years of evaluation experience, each episode dives into the stories behind the data. Join our two hosts as they discuss their trials and tribulations as program evaluators: how they engage stakeholders, ask questions, measure change, and translate findings into action. From

science social sciences

All Episodes

43:53

Librarian in the Loop: What You Can Gain from Having...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/10/01

What can a research librarian find that a search engine, or an AI tool, can't? In this episode, Stacey Merola and William Pate talk with Matthew Von Hendy, a research librarian and the founder of Green Heron Information Services, about where library science and evaluation meet.Matthew worked at science and technology libraries in the DC area, including EPA, NASA and the National Academies, before he started consulting for evaluators in 2012. He tells stories from that work, like tracking down an

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43:04

AI in Qualitative Research: Promise, Pitfalls, and...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/09/16

Can AI really handle coding qualitative data, or is it just a shortcut that costs you in the end? In this episode, Stacey and Bill sit down with Dr. Asher Beckwitt, a researcher with 26 years of experience across 5,000 qualitative and mixed-methods studies, to unpack where AI genuinely helps with qualitative data analysis, and where it falls short. Asher walks through choosing compliant, privacy-safe AI tools, why human verification of AI outputs is non-negotiable, and how to document AI use for

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32:07

Equipment Cut in Half: Lessons in Planning from...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/09/02

In this episode, Stacey and Bill talk with Joan Wagner about how systems engineering and industrial engineering (IE) work together. The former includes defining and verifying requirements, while the later involves optimizing processes and efficiency.Highlights include: The "Systems Engineering V" model and the importance of setting clear project boundaries Why Lean and Kaizen work best when the people doing the work drive the improvements A story about building stakeholder buy-in with a resistant

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50:24

Actionable Evaluation: From Health Data to Policy...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/08/19

Focusing on policy recommendations as part of the evaluation is critical because health data without policy recommendations grounded in data creates a dangerous blind spot for policymakers, often leading to well-intentioned regulations that fail on the ground. While quantitative metrics can pinpoint a drop in Medicaid enrollment, for example, they cannot capture the confusing administrative hurdles, conflicting agency rules, or frontline operational friction causing those trends. By integrating

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38:48

Summer Vibes: Mixed Methods, Moose, and Making Deals

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/08/05

What do mixed methods interrupted time series designs, business development, and moose have in common? More than you might think.In this episode of The Method to Our Madness, we explore the power of mixed methods interrupted time series designs and how they help researchers and evaluators understand change over time. We also share insights from the world of business development, including the challenges and opportunities of building partnerships, pursuing new work, and growing a business. Along

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26:04

Knowledge Maps: Seeing the Whole Picture

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/07/23

What if your logic model is too simple to capture how your program actually works? Hosts Dr. Stacey Merola, and Bill Pate sit down with Dr. Bernadette Wright to explore knowledge mapping. A knowledge map is a visual approach that uses circles and arrows to show the interconnected web of causes and effects behind real-world outcomes, instead of forcing everything into a rigid input-output framework.Dr. Wright walks through how knowledge maps are built (often with 20-25+ interconnected concepts), why

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34:03

Culturally Responsive Evaluation: Listening Before...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/07/09

Dr. Stacey Merola and Bill Pate sit down with Dr. Toks Fashola, research professor at American University, to unpack what it really means to do culturally responsive program evaluation. Dr. Fashola breaks down how spurious variables can quietly become confounding ones by using everyday examples like parking tickets in Baltimore and medication adherence in diabetes care and explains why understanding a community's history and context is essential to getting evaluation right. Drawing on her own

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45:40

From Weeks to Minutes: How AI Is Transforming...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/06/25

What if the most tedious parts of your research workflow could shrink from months to minutes? In this episode, hosts Stacey Merola and William Pate sit down with Ron Wilson, Assistant Graduate Program Director for the GIS program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, to explore how AI is reshaping the way researchers and educators work. Ron shares how AI went from helping him stress-test research ideas to slashing coding time, generating synthetic datasets, and building classroom

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29:04

The GovCon Stories Project: What Happens When Public...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/06/11

What does it mean to be “DOGEd”?In this powerful episode of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, hosts Stacey and Bill sit down with sociologist Tara Fannon, Ph.D. to unpack the human impact behind the 2025 federal funding cuts—and the often-overlooked fallout for government contractors. Drawing from her GovCon Stories Project, Tara shares insights from a mixed-methods study of 92 surveyed contractors and in-depth interviews with 20 individuals affected by sudden layoffs. What emerges is a deeply

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38:36

Residuals, Red Flags, and Reality: Lessons in...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/05/28

In Episode 13 of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, we sit down with evaluation management expert Kirk Knestis to unpack the real-world challenges of managing evaluation firms and projects—and how to handle them like a pro.From avoiding scope creep to setting up airtight quality assurance processes, Kirk shares practical strategies that can make or break an evaluation project. He dives into why separating study protocols from contracts is essential, how to establish clear expectations with

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47:27

Training Tomorrow’s Evaluators in a Changing World

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/05/14

What does it take to prepare the next generation of evaluators to meet the challenges of a changing world? This episode dives into the shifting demands on the field, from federal funding uncertainty to the growing influence of AI tools, and the skills future evaluators will need to rise to the challenges. Our guests from the University of Minnesota discuss how future evaluators should be trained to think systemically, challenge assumptions, and act as collaborative problem-solvers, as well as

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32:25

Logic Models: Keeping them Simple, Useful, and Dynamic

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/04/30

Logic models don’t have to be complicated or static. In this conversation with guest Deborah Levy, Stacey and Bill discuss why simplicity matters, how logic models should evolve over time, and what happens when programs face unexpected challenges like shifting audiences or external disruptions. The episode also offers practical tips for engaging stakeholders, collecting data, and using logic models as living tools throughout an evaluation. Podcast music written and produced by Stacey Merola

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32:20

The Practice and Judgement Behind Measuring Fidelity...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/04/16

Fidelity of implementation is often talked about but rarely understood. In Episode 10 of The Method to Our Madness, Allan Porowski, Principal Associate at Abt Global, brings clarity to this critical concept in program evaluation. Drawing on years of experience and large‑scale evaluation work, Allan explains why fidelity metrics must be tailored to each program, how planned‑offered‑received frameworks reveal meaningful variation, and why imperfect implementation can still drive valuable insight

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38:13

Keeping Statistics Useful: From Descriptive Data to...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/04/02

In this episode of The Method to Our Madness, Stacey and Bill unpack the different types of statistics commonly used in program evaluation—and why “simple” doesn’t mean unsophisticated. They explore how evaluators balance accessibility with rigor, discussing when descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA are the right tools, and when more advanced methods like hierarchical linear modeling or propensity score matching make sense. Along the way, they dig into the hidden complexity behind

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35:32

Different Types of Evaluation

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/03/18

What’s the difference between formative, process, outcome, and impact evaluation? When should you actually use each one? In this episode, Stacey and Bill break down the why and when of evaluation, drawing on real-world examples from education, training programs, and policy work. They talk implementation fidelity, stakeholder engagement, logic models, and why not every evaluation is about proving causality. The takeaway: good evaluation is about learning, improvement, and usefulness—not just

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30:17

Smarter Bids, Better Wins: Business Development That...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/03/05

In this episode of The Method to Our Madness Podcast, we sit down with Rebecca Pitkow, a business development consultant with over 20 years of experience, to break down what actually works in proposal writing and procurement strategy. We dive into how to identify the right opportunities early, avoid aspirational bidding, and use “gates” as decision points to save time, money, and energy. Rebecca explains how proactive forecasting, realistic capability assessments, and early disqualifications can

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39:30

How to Get the Most Out of Attending Academic and...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/02/18

Ever gone to a conference for the free swag and accidentally left with a career‑changing conversation? From data‑themed outfits to awkwardly empty presentation rooms, Stacey and Bill swap stories about how to get the most out of your conference experience. Drawing on years of attending, presenting at, and navigating professional and academic conferences across evaluation, psychology, sociology, and research spaces, Stacey and Bill share honest reflections about what worked, what didn’t, and what

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32:59

Introduction to Using Mixed Methods in Research

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/02/05

Episode 05: Mixed methods with special guest John HitchcockHave you ever wanted to know about using mixed methods in your research? Check out our latest podcast on mixed methods and the paradigm wars in program evaluation for a discussion about what mixed methods is and is not with special guest John Hitchcock, Marilyn Sime Professor for Educational Excellence at the University of Minnesota. John Hitchcock, a colleague of both Stacey and Bill, has published extensively on the topic mixed methods

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24:47

Research Ethics, Human Subjects Protections, and the...

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/01/22

In this podcast episode we discuss the principles that guide the protection of human subjects in medical and behavioral research by reviewing one of the seminal pieces on the subject, The Belmont Report. We also explore human subjects' protections in the context of current technological innovations. Notes related to the episode can be found here. Music written and produced by Stacey Merola. Podcast artwork was created by Zoe Targino.

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33:12

An Introduction to UX and Qualitative Research

The Method to Our Madness ·

2026/01/09

In this episode, we go to Guatemala to chat with UX expert Anna Sandoval, Ph.D. about UX and qualitative research. UX research is the process of understanding user perceptions, needs, and behaviors, in order to design products that are accessible and usable. Gaining this understanding involves collecting data through qualitative methods like interviews and observations. After listening to the episode, if you are interested in learning more, you can contact Anna on LinkedIn at Anna Sandoval Giron,

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