Registration is now open for Summer Learning Series Digital Workshops. These interactive workshops will take place all summer long, giving you the opportunity to learn from your peers, engage in meaningful discussions, and work through challenges or barriers in your evaluation practice.
Each digital workshop has a designated capacity in order to create an intimate learning environment. We recommend you register early to secure your spot!
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Learn more about the workshops below! Space is limited for each; don’t wait to reserve your spot.
Offered: Friday, June 30, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Amy Griffin, Director, Health Evaluation Initiatives, The Consultation Center at Yale; Director, Strategy and Engagement, YaleEVAL
Evaluators wear many hats. A critical role is that of the facilitator. Facilitation is needed at every phase of the evaluation process including planning meetings, participatory logic model development, development of data collection methods, qualitative data techniques (e.g. focus groups), and results dissemination. Quality facilitation builds trust among the evaluator and our community partners. Convening effective and productive meetings send a message of respect and can create a positive and energetic working atmosphere. These skills are essential but are rarely taught in school. During this workshop, we will discuss how to prepare for various types of facilitation experiences and will provide considerations for selecting facilitation modes (in-person versus virtual) and methods (using technology, flip charts, voting, group decision-making) depending on the facilitation goals and group dynamics. Participants will also engage in a self-assessment process of their facilitation skills. This is an interactive workshop. Participants will be provided the opportunity to plan and present.
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Offered: Friday, July 7, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Mike Trevisan, Dean and Professor, Washington State University; Tamara Walser, Professor, University of North Carolina-Wilmington
This workshop will explore and engage the transformative use and potential of evaluability assessment (EA). EA was developed in the 1970s as a pre-evaluation activity for determining if a program was ready for outcome evaluation, with a focus on management as the primary intended users. Much like evaluation in general, EA theory and practice have evolved to address the complex needs of programs and their communities. No longer tied exclusively to management decisions about outcome evaluation, EA can be used as a collaborative evaluation approach at any point in a program's lifecycle. Transforming our understanding and application of EA unlocks its potential to engage program and organization communities in evaluation, address program complexity, support culturally responsive and equity-focused evaluation, and build evaluation capacity. Through examples, case scenarios, small group applied learning activities, and discussion; workshop participants will consider and apply a transformative EA approach. Specifically, they will explore current theories and uses of EA, develop skills to implement transformative EA, and consider ways to implement transformative EA in their practice.
Offered: Wednesday, July 12, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Susan M. Wolfe, Ph.D., CEO and Community Consultant, Susan Wolfe and Associates; Ann Webb Price, Ph.D., President, Community Evaluation Solutions
Engagement is essential to build trust and rapport needed to engage in genuine participatory evaluation. This interactive workshop will facilitate knowledge sharing among the presenters and participants. Facilitators will discuss participatory evaluation methods that include the voices of community members and help participants understand the qualities, values, and specific capabilities evaluators need to foster community relationships. Participants will learn methods they can use to engage with community members. We will also describe leverage points for engaging the community throughout the evaluation process (collaborative evaluation design, data collection, analysis, and information dissemination strategies).
Offered: Wednesday, July 19, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET
Presenters: Christiana Reene, RDN, MPH Evaluator, Center for Program Evaluation and Quality Improvement (PEQI) Emory Centers for Public Health Training and Technical Assistance Rollins School of Public Health | Emory University; JoAnna L. Hillman, MPH Director, Center for Program Evaluation and Quality Improvement (PEQI) Emory Centers for Public Health Training and Technical Assistance Rollins School of Public Health | Emory University
Join the creators of "No More Crappy Surveys" for an interactive virtual workshop on leveraging your professional strengths to build client trust through effective communication and client relationship management approaches. Many early-career evaluation professionals have the necessary skills to successfully manage client relationships; yet, many enter the workforce with low confidence in their ability to effectively navigate and nurture these relationships in a way that fosters communication, trust, and rapport. This workshop seeks to increase the application of effective communication skills among early-career evaluation professionals engaging with clients and/or partners, leveraging learners' individual strengths to build confidence in their relationship management approach. Whether engaging with clients who are prickly pears or cool cucumbers, participants will learn strategies to successfully plant, grow, and nurture client relationships.
Offered: Tuesday, July 25, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Sandra Ayoo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Educational Research Methodology (ERM) Department, UNC Greensboro; Jeanne Zimmer, Ph.D., Adjunct, The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University
Attendees will have the opportunity to assess their approach to handling conflict and to build on that assessment to improve their conflict resolution and negotiation skills in program evaluation. Through a hands-on, experiential approach using real-life examples from program evaluation, participants will learn practical applications of conflict resolution skills as they apply to situations in program evaluation.
Offered: Tuesday, August 1, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner, Ph.D., MST, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; Amanda McWhorter, DrPH, MPH, Deputy Associate Director in the Division of State and Local Readiness, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How can we transform our organizations into learning powerhouses, fueled by our evaluation findings? Evaluation data, findings, and recommendations should do more than sit on a shelf. They can drive program improvement, inform decision-making, and boost accountability to funders and stakeholders. Effective use of evaluation findings remains an elusive milestone for many organizations. In this workshop, participants will go deep into thinking about how to ensure their evaluation findings are used. The workshop presents a set of evidenced-based factors known to influence organizations' use of their evaluation findings. Participants will learn about the factors in four categories (instrumental, conceptual, enlightenment, and process) and explore examples of effective approaches. Participants will then apply the concepts to their own settings, reflect upon their own past and possible successes and challenges, learn from each other through facilitated discussions, and leave with a plan to foster improved use of evaluation findings within their own settings.
Offered: Friday, August 4, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: Laura Keene, Keene Insights; Matt Feldman, Goshen Education Consulting
As a program evaluator, are you thinking about going out on your own? For many, this is an exciting but intimidating prospect. This workshop will reveal the simple but essential design and start-up skills needed for success. Matt Feldmann and Laura Keene will lead this important introductory workshop that has been foundational to the development of many consulting practices and small internal independent evaluation shops. This workshop will provide you with a plan for how to initiate your independent consulting practice.
Offered: Thursday, August 10, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenters: John LaVelle, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota; Stewart Donaldson, University Professor, Claremont Graduate University
This workshop will provide practicing evaluators with an opportunity to improve their understanding of how to use theory to improve evaluation practice. Lectures, exercises, and discussions will help participants learn how to apply evaluation theories, social science theories, and stakeholder theories of change to improve the accuracy and usefulness of their evaluations. A range of examples from evaluation practice will be provided to illustrate main points and take-home messages.
Offered: Friday, August 18, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Presenter: Elizabeth McGee, Principle, LEAP Consulting
This workshop will focus on practical ways to reduce harm in our evaluation work. Elizabeth will touch on the limits and harm of conventional evaluation and applied evaluation methods and then identify hands-on tips to encourage more radical approaches grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) principles. This workshop will help evaluation and applied researchers to identify individual biases and assumptions, as well as systemic oppressors that not only cause harm but are upheld, perpetuated or go unchallenged by traditional evaluation and applied evaluation practices. The bulk of the workshop will cover the following topics: harm risk, harm acknowledgement, harm reduction, and healing/restorative work. We will share the story of being on the precipice of opening the Center for Radical Evaluation and Research (CRER).