Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Hi everyone! I’m Janice D’souza, and I am an Evaluation Lead and Project Manager at the Institute of International Education (IIE). Over the years, I’ve learned that strong evaluation doesn’t just come from good methods—it grows out of a culture where people are encouraged to ask questions, reflect together, and try new things. This has been especially important for our team as we work across diverse programs, geographies, and support emerging evaluators.
Here’s how we’ve been building that kind of learning culture—and how it’s helped us grow together.
We maintain a shared insights and learning journal, where we jot down lessons learned, unexpected outcomes, tensions, and surprises across projects. It’s low-lift and informal—just a place to drop notes like:
This journal helps us track growth over time and gives newer team members insight into how learning happens in real time.
We try to make it safe for everyone—especially emerging evaluators—to say things like “I don’t know,” “I need help,” or “I want to try a new approach.” Evaluation often involves uncertainty, and acknowledging it out loud helps build trust and opens up space for learning.
Every other week, a team member leads a short discussion we call a REL Talk (Research, Evaluation, and Learning). They bring a resource—like an article, podcast, or tool—and guide us in a conversation. It’s a low-pressure way to practice leadership, learn from each other, and spark curiosity.
We also maintain a shared resource library for methods, ethics guidance, and creative tools—especially helpful for newer evaluators or staff from different disciplines.
We build reflection into our project work, not just our evaluation planning. Whether it’s pausing mid-project with program officers to ask “What are we noticing?” or sharing takeaways during brown bag lunches across the organization, we treat reflection as something we do with others—not just alone at our desks.
We view our team as a place to test new approaches—like piloting participatory methods or using graphic facilitation in interviews. This mindset helps us stay flexible, responsive, and open to emerging practices.
Several of us recently took a course on trauma-informed evaluation and used it to spark internal discussion and reflection. Group learning builds shared language and gives everyone—from interns to senior staff—a chance to grow side by side.
Evaluation isn’t just something we deliver—it’s something we’re constantly evolving together. When we make space for reflection, experimentation, and shared learning, we create teams that are not only technically strong but also supportive, inclusive, and joyful to be part of.
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