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UWF Center for Applied Psychology to assess PALS program

The Arc Gateway organization of Pensacola has contracted with the University of West Florida Center for Applied Psychology to help evaluate the two-year Program for Adult Learning.

The Arc is an organization supporting those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its PALS program, created in 2014, gives adults with disabilities the opportunity to go to college, learn new skills, explore careers, prepare for employment and gain independence. Students take courses at Pensacola State College.

The goal of the evaluation is to determine gaps in the current assessment process, develop measures to address these gaps and recommend evaluation guidelines for future PALS participants. The Center for Applied Psychology Co-Director Steve Kass is principal investigator on the project.

Other team members from the center are Paul Green, Felicia Kaloydis and Christopher Downing. Jane Halonen from psychology, and Stacie Whinnery and Keith Whinnery from teacher education and educational leadership, are serving as subject matter experts. Also, graduate assistant Kenny Parker is working on the project as part of his internship in the master’s program for industrial and organizational psychology.

The evaluation started in January and continues through June.