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Welcome! This page is a good starting point for learning about Evaluation 2004.
The Annual Conference of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) is held each year in November. AEA welcomes evaluation practitioners, academics, and students from across the US and around the world to learn from each other in a supportive atmosphere. The Conference will be held from November 3-6, 2004 at the Hilton in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Half- one- and two-day professional development workshops will precede and follow the conference itself on November 1-3, and November 7, 2004. In 2003, over 1600 people attended the annual conference in Reno, Nevada. This year, we expect an even higher attendance, in the 1600-1800 range. We welcome attendees who are just beginning their careers as well as seasoned experts. Each year, you will find the leading authors in the field presenting their work at the conference including Donna Mertens, Michael Patton, Hallie Preskill, Michael Scriven, and Daniel Stufflebeam. Approximately 10% of those attending come from outside the United States. We expect that there will be over 400 separate sessions at the conference showcasing the knowledge and skills of more than 800 presenters. Key dates for the conference include:
An overview of the draft conference schedule may be found by scrolling down to the bottom of this page. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the AEA office at any time. Susan and Heidi are there to help! They may be reached via email at info@eval.org or via phone at 888-232-2275 or 508-748-3326. Fundamental
issues endure in the evaluation of programs, products, personnel,
proposals, and all other types of evaluands. These issues underlie all
aspects of evaluation theory, method, and practice, whether they have to
do with communication with clients, ethical dilemmas, cultural
differences, preparation of new evaluators, work with special
populations, governmental service, methodological difficulties, social
justice, evaluation influence, or economic survival as a professional.
The issues address recurring themes and problems and are the topic of
discussion and debate among evaluation theorists, methodologists, and
practitioners and sometimes the social science community at large. They
form the foundation for the intellectual and practical corpus of
evaluation but evolve with changes in programs, politics, ideologies,
and technologies. Some issues such as the importance of good evaluation
theory, methodology, and practice for contemporary society do not vary
much over time; others such as the proper version and expression of
evaluative activities in society periodically resurface in new forms,
demanding our attention and encouraging new debate and discussion. Fundamental Issues in
Evaluation is the theme of the 2004 American Evaluation Association
(AEA) conference. A set of sessions addressing the theme will be
presented in the conference Presidential Strand. There is one Strand
session during each group of concurrent sessions. In 2004, the Presidential Strand will provide opportunities for evaluation theorists, methodologists, and practitioners to present conference sessions addressing (a) the core issues of evaluation theory, method, practice, and the profession; (b) the history of these issues and how they have been shaped by events, ideologies, social and cultural settings, technologies, and so forth; (c) the nature of, and foundation for, current interpretations of these issues; and (d) likely changes and trends in the manner in which the issues will be addressed in the future. For the annual conference, we invite you to identify, examine, study, and share your reflections on what you consider to be the most important fundamental issues in your evaluation activities. Goal
of the Strand The goal of the presidential strand is to have members present
timely, insightful, useful, intellectually invigorating papers, panels,
debates, demonstrations, and other types of sessions that address
fundamental issues in evaluation theory, method, practice, and the
profession. Some questions that might help AEA members think about these topics follow.
The comments presented here are intended to stimulate thinking on
the topic of the conference theme. Please address any reactions,
suggestions, or questions to Paul R. Brandon, the 2004 Presidential
Strand chairperson at brandon@hawaii.edu. The conference schedule
9:00 am to 4:00 pm: Concurrent Full-day Professional Development
Workshops 9:00
am to 4:00 pm: Concurrent Full-day Professional Development Workshops Wednesday,
November 3, 2004 8:00
am to 3:00 pm: Concurrent Half- and Full-day Professional Development
Workshops 3:15
pm to 4:15 pm: Welcome and Presidential Address 4:30
pm to 6:00 pm: Concurrent Conference Sessions 6:30
pm to 7:45 pm: Reception and Information Fair Thursday, November 4, 2004 8:00
am to 9:10 am: First Plenary 9:25
am to 12:35 pm: Two Sets of 90 Minute Concurrent Conference
Sessions 12:45
pm to 1:30 pm: AEA Business Meeting 1:40
pm to 4:50 pm: Two Sets of 90 Minute Concurrent Conference
Sessions 5:00
pm to 6:00 pm: Concurrent TIG business meetings 6:30
pm to 7:45 pm: Reception and Poster Exhibition Friday, November 5, 2004 8:00
am to 9:10 am: Second Plenary 9:25
am to 12:00 pm: Three Sets of 45 Minute Concurrent Conference Sessions 12:10
pm to 1:45 pm: AEA Awards Luncheon 1:55
pm to 6:00 pm: Two Sets of 90 Minute & One Set of 45 Minute
Concurrent Conference Sessions 6:30
pm to 7:45 pm: Reception and International Silent Auction Saturday, November 6, 2004 8:00
am to 9:10 am: Third Plenary 9:25
am to 5:00 pm: Four
Sets of 90 Minute & One Set of 45 Minute Concurrent Conference
Sessions 7:00
pm to ?:?? pm: Social Event to be announced Sunday, November 7, 2004 |
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