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Session Title: The Internal Evaluator in the Context of the 21st Century
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Panel Session 836 to be held in Panzacola Section G1 on Saturday, Nov 14, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM
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Sponsored by the AEA Conference Committee
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| Chair(s): |
| Stanley Capela, HeartShare Human Services, stan.capela@heartshare.org
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| Discussant(s):
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| Stanley Capela, HeartShare Human Services, stan.capela@heartshare.org
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| Abstract:
The purpose of this session is to look at the role of internal evaluation in the context of changing times within the 21st century. It will provide an opportunity to foster a dialogue on the significant issues that impact the internal evaluator and at the same time provides a toolkit to assist those individuals who work as internal evaluators.
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Relationship Between the Internal and External Evaluator
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| Kathleen Tinworth, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, kathleen.tinworth@dmns.org
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The panelist will present two case studies from her work as an internal evaluator at a major metropolitan Museum. These examples will illustrate both the positives and negatives which can result from collaborations between internal and external evaluators. Discussion will focus on how both internal and external evaluators provide insight and value, especially when teamed. While an internal evaluator can work positively and proactively with external evaluators to bring insider knowledge, context and history to an evaluation, external evaluators can provide necessary objectivity and clarity. When paired effectively and in an open and collaborative way, consistency, validity, and reliability within evaluations can be bolstered.
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The Art of Being an Internal Evaluator and Dealing With Ethical Dilemmas
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| Tony Wu, Independent Consultant, tonywu@drwuonline.com
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The panelist has a unique role within a non-profit community mental health center. He is both the supervising psychologist and chief evaluator. Due to the complex nature of the services that the agency provides, it has mixed funding structure that includes contracts with government, private philanthropies, and foundation grants. With a variety of reporting and performance standards, the panelist needs to be very knowledgeable of all program details. Additionally due to the complex outcome measures, having an internal evaluator on staff makes intuitive sense. However, there are times that it is difficult to follow best practice guidelines when the internal evaluator is constrained by upper management who are not receptive to evidence-based practices. In these situations, the panelist as do many other evaluators, are faced with ethical dilemmas. The focus on this presentation will focus on the art in negotiating these ethical dilemmas as an internal evaluator.
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Designing an Internal Evaluation Unit for a Small Organization With Limited Resources
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| Michelle Baron, The Evaluation Baron LLC, michelle@evaluationbaron.com
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Using the principles of Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB), the discussant will outline ways small organizations at the early, midterm, and seasoned levels of capacity can develop and maintain internal evaluation systems. The discussant will emphasize that successful internal evaluation is both a mindset and an organizational movement, and that evaluation can thrive in organizations regardless of size or resource limitations.
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