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Session Title: Professional Status for Evaluators: Canadian and American Views

Panel Session 342 to be held in Liberty Ballroom Section B on Thursday, November 8, 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM

Sponsored by the AEA Conference Committee

Chair(s):

Gerald payday loan  Halpern payday loan ,  Fair Findings Inc,  gerald@fairfindings.com

Abstract: The American Evaluation Association does not award professional designations in evaluation; the Canadian Evaluation Society is on the road to seriously considering the development and installation of such a system. This session describes why the Canadian Evaluation Society is moving in this direction and how it would expect to achieve professional status for evaluators in the near future. Professional designations in Canada would have implications for practice in the United States and elsewhere. The process being followed in Canada may have utility for other-country professional associations of evaluators. The Canadian experience will be examined and critiqued by two American evaluators experienced with the issue. Discussion from non-panel participants will be encouraged and significant time will be reserved for this purpose.

Warming up to the Prospect of Professional Designations: Reflections on the Canadian Process J Bradley payday loan  Cousins payday loan ,  University of Ottawa,  bcousins@uottawa.ca Jim payday loan  Cullen payday loan ,  Thomas More Institute,  jimcullen99@msn.com The presentation will be an examination of the forces acting upon the Canadian Evaluation Society that led to its decision to seriously consider the adoption of professional designations for Canadian Evaluators. J. Bradley Cousins is an ex-officio member of CES National Council by virtue of his role as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. Jim Cullen was Chair of CES Membership Services Committee throughout the process of consultation on professional designations for evaluators in Canada. In this presentation, they reflect on the impetus for initiating a request for proposals for an action plan and subsequent negotiations. They also share insights on the process of developing a National Council Response to the resultant action plan and the development and launch of a tripartite consultation process that involved CES members, partners of the Society (including employers), and CES Chapters. Consideration will be given to lessons learned from this process.

Arriving at an Action Plan Gerald payday loan  Halpern payday loan ,  Fair Findings Inc,  gerald@fairfindings.com Gerald Halpern served as organizer and first drafter of reports and plans for the 11 person Consortium that developed the Action Plan for professional designations. His doctorate is in industrial psychology with an emphasis on experimental design. He has 43 years of experience in all aspects of program evaluation. The methodology and the resultant Action Plan are described. The Plan presents professional designations for evaluators. There were three components to the methodology: (a) a literature review conducted by Irene Huse (a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria) with supervision by Professor James C. McDavid; (b) interviews with relevant other professional organizations (designed and supervised by Gerald Halpern and Bud Long; and (c) successive iterations of discussion among Consortium members to develop feasible means for achieving the objectives. The outcome was a recommendation for a multi-level and staged series of professional designations: Member; Credentialed Evaluator; Certified Professional Evaluator.

Critical Examination of the Canadian Plan James W payday loan  Altschuld payday loan ,  The Ohio State University,  altschuld.1@osu.edu Dr. Altschuld brings to the panel his expertise developed on this issue over the years. His experience includes (a) the writing of a number of articles on evaluator certification and (b) service as the chair of the American Evaluation Association's taskforce that examined the issue in the late 1990's. From the perspective of an American-based evaluator, Dr. Altschuld will presents his views regarding the path followed and the progress achieved in Canada. These will include an analysis of deficiencies and the highlighting of aspects of the approach taken that are useful to the American situation. As well, there will be a presentation of an historical perspective on the nature of the certification/credentialing debate in the US and why, despite the level of interest, certification or credentialing for evaluators is not yet in place in America.