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Session Title: Internal Evaluation: Its Unique Contexts Challenges, Opportunities and Uses
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Panel Session 110 to be held in Panzacola Section H3 on Wednesday, Nov 11, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Evaluation Use TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Wendy DuBow, University of Colorado at Boulder, wendy.dubow@colorado.edu
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| Discussant(s):
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| Wendy DuBow, University of Colorado at Boulder, wendy.dubow@colorado.edu
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| Abstract:
Internal evaluators often encounter both challenges and opportunities unique to their status as insiders. The panelists in this session have all worked as both external and internal evaluators and, therefore, bring a perspective on how the issues they currently face as internal evaluators differ from, or are similar to, those they have faced as external evaluators. Many of these issues have a direct impact on the use of the evaluations they have conducted. The three panelists will share the challenges and opportunities they have encountered as internal evaluators and focus on how these issues impacted the evaluation utilization. The discussant will provide an opportunity for audience participation in a discussion of the larger philosophical and practical issues these situations spark. As the panelists and discussant all work in different fields, the inter-disciplinary discussion promises to be stimulating.
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MutuallY Reinforcing Uses of Internal Evaluation and Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB)
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| Boris Volkov, University of North Dakota, bvolkov@medicine.nodak.edu
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Both internal evaluation and evaluation capacity building (ECB) have increasingly become catch-phrases in the program evaluation and organization development field. Although ECB practice is distinguished from program evaluation, the goal of ECB is to reinforce and sustain effective program evaluation practices. One of the means for achieving this goal is increasing an organization's capacity to design, implement, and manage effective evaluation projects. This capacity in many organizations is a function of an internal evaluation unit. Both theory and practice show that, on the one hand, evaluation capacity building is a viable approach for the development of (internal) evaluation systems. On the other hand, internal evaluation practice can--and in many cases does--contribute to developing an organization's capacity to think and act evaluatively. The panelist will discuss points of convergence between ECB and internal evaluation, co-evolving and mutually reinforcing uses of practices, and the systematic process of building evaluation capacity in organizations.
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Perception of the Evaluator as External or Internal Affects Stakeholder Evaluation Use
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| Samuel Held, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, sam.held@orau.org
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This panelist is the lead program evaluator for a not-for-profit organization with multiple funding streams (including Federal grants and contracts), multiple partners covering a range of local, regional, and national programs. His position exists both in the not-for-profit and in a Federal institute that his organization manages, meaning he is an integrated part of a Federal agency that funds programs which he is tasked to evaluate by the agency. In this complex role, he aims to provide neutral, external evaluations of programs that his organization manages and that the Federal government funds. His identity as an internal or external evaluator is not always clear, even to him. Yet, stakeholders' perceptions of his identity (i.e., his connection to the program or organization) affect the evaluations and studies his office conducts. He will share examples of how he has navigated these complexities, while trying to ensure use of evaluation findings.
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