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Linking the Production of Evaluation Knowledge to the Context of Its Application
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| Presenter(s):
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| Thomas Schwandt, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, tschwand@illinois.edu
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| Natasha Jankowski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, njankow2@illinois.edu
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| Abstract:
The use of evaluation findings is a topic that has generated multiple definitions of use, as well as types and taxonomies of use. However, the literature is relatively silent on the fact that 'use' rests on conceptualizations of how the context of the production of evaluation information and evidence is related to the context of the application of that information and evidence. This paper presents and appraises three ways in which this relationship has been conceptualized—dissemination/transmission, translation, and interaction.
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Users Perspectives of the Factors that Influence whether Recommendations get Implemented
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| Presenter(s):
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| Shevaun Nadin, Carleton University, snadin@connect.carleton.ca
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| Bernadette Campbell, Carleton University, bernadette_campbell@carleton.ca
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| Abstract:
As an intended step towards social betterment, evaluators often provide recommendations for program improvement. However, recommendations promote social betterment only insofar as they are actually used, and unfortunately they are often ignored. Despite the vast literature on evaluation use, it is still not clear which factors most strongly influence whether evaluation findings get used. Missing from the literature is an empirical examination of the relative importance of, and users opinions about the factors that importantly affect instrumental use. To address that gap, evaluation users' opinions about the relative importance of factors that facilitate recommendation implementation were explored. Using Q methodology, various statements were drawn from the evaluation literature about what importantly influences instrumental use, and a sample of evaluation users rank ordered those statements. The emergent perspectives are presented, and the practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Six Steps to Effective Recommendations
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| Presenter(s):
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| Michael Hendricks, Independent Consultant, mikehendri@aol.com
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| Abstract:
Recommendations are one of the most important, yet also one of the least-addressed aspects of evaluations. More than a few evaluators and evaluation managers seem to think that recommendations flow naturally from the findings of an evaluation, even if we give them only a few hours' worth of thought at the very end of our work. As a result, too often our recommendations don't flow from our findings, aren't feasible, wouldn't solve the problems being addressed, or aren't presented in a way to gain acceptance by key stakeholders.
The presentation will describe three separate phases of the process: (1) developing effective recommendations, from the first inkling of an idea to the final wordsmithing, (2) presenting effective recommendations, ideally in various different ways, and (3) following-up effectively on recommendations, whether they've been accepted, rejected, or deferred. Within these three phases, I will present six specific steps to effective recommendations.
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