Author Description

Evaluation, an important component of all research, is critical to integrate into interventions addressing sexual harassment, because the targets of such harassment can suffer serious consequences, including physical and emotional harm, lost educational opportunities, and negative effects on their career. Not only are the consequences potentially severe, but the problem is pervasive across all levels of academia. Studies show that 20–50 percent of undergraduate and graduate students experience sexual harassment from faculty or staff, as well as nearly 50 percent of women faculty and staff in academia. Moreover, despite efforts in recent decades to prevent and respond effectively to sexual harassment, it remains a significant issue with no clear decline in incidence rates. This paper offers insight into selecting the appropriate methods for evaluating interventions based on evidence, case studies, and the perspectives and experiences of the authors. The goal of the paper is to provide interested parties in higher education with an introduction to methods and approaches to evaluating interventions designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in their institutions. This individually-authored issue paper was created by members of the Evaluation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education to explore the challenges and research areas related to the evaluation of a wide range of efforts to address sexual harassment, which they present in this document. The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine brings together academic and research institutions and key stakeholders to work toward targeted, collective action on addressing and preventing sexual harassment across all disciplines and among all people in higher education. The Action Collaborative includes four working groups (Prevention, Response, Remediation, and Evaluatio