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Session Title: Culturally Responsive Evaluation Training for Students of Color: From Classroom to Fieldwork and Back
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Panel Session 613 to be held in Hopkins Room on Friday, November 9, 1:55 PM to 3:25 PM
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Sponsored by the Multiethnic Issues in Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Veronica Thomas,
Howard University,
vthomas@howard.edu
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| Abstract:
How can evaluation faculty provide meaning coursework and practical experiences for students of color? How sufficient is traditional coursework in preparing students of color for complex roles and responsibilities in real-world planning and implementation of an evaluation, especially in settings serving diverse populations? What differences emerge between students of color's expectations based upon classroom training and their experiences based upon fieldwork in a diverse setting? These questions will guide the panelists as they explore student learning through traditional evaluation coursework coupled with a directed evaluation field experience. Panelists, which include the faculty mentor along with the three person student-led evaluation team (all African American females), will discuss how although the range of issues discussed in the classroom provided a foundation for preparing students for fieldwork, the subsequent 15-week practical experience (coupled with weekly in-class meetings) provided students with a keener understanding of the intricacies of planning and implementing evaluations in a diverse setting.
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Planning and Implementing Relevant Evaluation Training for Students of Color: Successes and Hard Lessons Learned
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| Veronica Thomas,
Howard University,
vthomas@howard.edu
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There are ongoing efforts in the evaluation field to attract a more diverse pool of students. This is coupled with efforts to improve the quality of graduate teaching and aid in the dissemination of effective teaching strategies to a broad community of evaluators. This presenter will discuss her 10-year experience as a teacher of evaluation to students of color at a historically Black university and her shift from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach. A set of critical questions will be addressed: (1) What kinds of evaluation learnings and experiences would be most impactful for students of color? (2) How can an instructor create courses and practical experiences that will facilitate such experiences? (3) What lessons learned from faculty and students' traditional evaluation coursework and their field experiences can be utilized to build a more robust graduate training program that increase the value and relevance of the profession for students of color.
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Planning for Fieldwork: How Coursework Prepared (and Didn't Prepare) the Student-led Team for the Field
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| Shelia Mitchell,
Howard University,
she714@aol.com
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| Janine Jackson,
Howard University,
teach15980@aol.com
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The first step to any evaluation study is to plan and design the evaluation. Further, designing an evaluation that takes place in settings that serve diverse populations calls for even more careful attention. This presentation will highlight the student-led evaluation team's reflections on how courses in evaluation theory and methods prepared, and failed to prepare, them for some of the intricate issues that they faced in co-constructing with stakeholders and designing the methodology for their evaluation project. Differences between course-based and field-experience based perceptions will be elaborated. The student-led team's strategies for determining what to study, who to study, what type of evidence was required to meet the needs of the evaluand/key stakeholders, and identifying resource needs will also be discussed.
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The Practical Experience: Successes, Challenges, and Things in Between
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| Janine Jackson,
Howard University,
teach15980@aol.com
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| Shelia Mitchell,
Howard University,
she714@aol.com
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This presentation will focus upon the successes, challenges, expected and unexpected pitfalls faced by the student-led team in actually conducting the evaluation, writing the report, and disseminating the results. Team members' initial apprehensions about working in the field will be highlighted, as well as the strategies they utilized to overcome these apprehensions. The benefits of closely working with a faculty mentor, having ongoing in-class sessions during the field experience, and working within a small group will be discussed.
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Where Do We Go From Here? Life After Graduate Coursework and Field Experiences
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| Shelia Mitchell,
Howard University,
she714@aol.com
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| Janine Jackson,
Howard University,
teach15980@aol.com
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In this paper, the student-led evaluation team will explore how the evaluation in-class and field experiences have shaped their professional development. Further, the presenters will discuss their current view of the place of evaluation in an increasingly diverse society and their role in this evolving process. The student-led evaluation team will also reflect upon how they will continue to enhance their own growth and development in the evaluation field through non-academic credit professional development, active involvement in professional associations (such as the American Evaluation Association), and collaborating with practicing evaluators in diverse settings.
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