Return to search form  

Session Title: Reflective Inquiry Into Learning Through Evaluation Practice

Panel Session 357 to be held in Preston Room on Thursday, November 8, 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM

Sponsored by the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building TIG

Chair(s):

Daniel payday loan  Folkman payday loan ,  University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,  folkman@uwm.edu

Abstract: The theme for this year's AEA conference is evaluation and learning. The proposed panel presentation will provide three examples of evaluation practice that employs a participatory action research (PAR) approach to program development and assessment. The panel members are developing a framework to assess the immediate and long term learnings that evolve from their PAR strategies and will share preliminary findings from longitudinal case studies that are being compiled as part of a larger study. The panel session will encourage discussion and contributions from the audience aimed at eliciting concrete examples of how evaluation practitioners recognize and/or assess the learning that occurs among themselves and program stakeholders that flows from their evaluation practice.

Learning While Creating Pathways to College Daniel payday loan  Folkman payday loan ,  University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,  folkman@uwm.edu This presentation describes the work being done with a Milwaukee's 21st Century Community Learning Center located in a high school. Conversations were held with a small group of students who had college aspirations but needed significant guidance and encouragement along the way. This triggered several meetings with representatives from the local technical college and state university to identify the multiple pathways that exist for students to access their campus. This panel presentation describes how a group of high school teachers, CLC staff, and representatives from the university and vocational school coordinated their services and what they learned along the way. The presentation will demonstrate how the reflective inquiry framework is being employed as part of the program planning, implementation and evaluation process. Preliminary findings include the opportunities and challenges that were encountered in transferring this knowledge into institutional practices that better serve the college bound high school student.

Learning Within a Parent Education Agency Devarati payday loan  Syam payday loan ,  University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,  devasyam@uwm.edu This panel presentation will describe the work being conduced with a Milwaukee based parent education agency. The original intent was to evaluate how parents receive parenting information from the agency's printed materials and how that helps them with their parenting needs. The approach to evaluation through participatory action research have brought agency staff members together in developing tools for their program evaluation but have also led to individual and organizational learning. The presentation will focus on how the role of the evaluator has shifted and changed in scope as we have focused more on the learning component in the evaluative process. A framework will be developed and shared as part of the presentation to show how this learning can be captured and what are the long term impact of our role as evaluators.

Learning within Hmong Family Strengthening Programs Kalyani payday loan  Rai payday loan ,  University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,  kalyanir@uwm.edu This panel presentation reports the evaluation findings of a family strengthening program that was offered through four Hmong community-based agencies located in separate communities throughout Wisconsin. The evaluation approach used a participatory action research strategy that emphasized an inclusive 'whole community' approach to organizational capacity building, leadership development, and family empowerment. This three year evaluation project, completed five years ago, provides a window to the long term learning that has contributed to the social, political, and psychological empowerment of the participants. However, some corresponding disempowering impacts are also identified. This presentation will end with a discussion of the evaluation of learning approach taken in this study. Special attention will be given to the complex and often contradictory nature of learning and the impact it has on individuals, families, and community agencies within a Hmong cultural context.