At this year’s Canadian Evaluation Conference, we’ll have a range of workshops on offer to whet the appetite of all our delegates. Whether you’re new in the field and just getting to grips with the science – and art! – of evaluation, or are intermediate level or a seasoned practitioner, there’ll be something to grab your attention. Here’s a taste of what we have in store for you:

Empowerment Evaluation 

with Dr. David Fetterman 

This beginner-level workshop presents the basics of empowerment evaluation. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn how to establish a mission, create a baseline and define the goals and strategies needed to achieve evaluation objectives. You’ll find out how to select the right tools for this type of evaluation and come away with an understanding of the key concepts guiding the approach. The workshop will address the following evaluation competencies:

1. Reflective Practice 1.3
2. Situational Practice 3.6
3. Interpersonal Practice 5.6

The workshop is presented by Dr. David Fetterman, who is the founder of empowerment evaluation as well as the author of several books on the topic. He also maintains a blog for the American Evaluation Association, of which he is a past president and the recipient of various awards.

View Dr. Fetterman’s video message about his presentation here

Conducting Research on Evaluation and Getting Published

with Dr. Robert Schwartz

While most evaluators recognize the worth of research, few actually conduct – and publish – research on evaluation, in spite of the substantive need for empirical research in the community. In this intermediate-level workshop, Dr. Robert Schwarz will present ways to conduct research on the topic, and delegates will learn how to do it using hands-on, experiential methods in small groups.

As the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, Dr. Schwarz will leave attendees with a range of useful tips and guidance on preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Seeking advice in handling more complex evaluation and survey design problems? Then you may be drawn to this half-day workshop:

Advanced Issues in Evaluation Survey Research and Design

with Benoit Gauthier and Dr. Simon Roy

During this workshop, the presenters will offer four topics for review and discussion, which are:

1. Moving from the evaluation framework to planning the survey (i.e. operationalization of concepts, sampling, scales, budgeting);
2. Ensuring the meaning of questions is shared (i.e. pretesting and translation);
3. Approaches to enhancing response rates; and,
4. Assessing survey research conducted by others.

You can expect a short presentation on each of these topics followed by discuss of issues and solutions. You’ll be able to contribute your own experience and examples and apply critical thinking throughout the session.

This workshop will address evaluation competencies in Technical Practice 2.7, 2.9 and 2.13.

Both presenters are credentialed evaluators with outstanding careers in the field, and have co-authored several articles for the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. Dr. Roy developed the first CES Logic Model Course and co-authored the latest CES Survey Course. He teaches program evaluation and received the CESEF award for Contribution to Research on Evaluation Practice.

Watch this space for more information on workshops lined up for 2013, or subscribe to our bilingual Conference Newsletter and follow us on social media. You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and  Google+.

Evaluation great Dr. Hallie Preskill, who has spent her life at the intersection of evaluation, learning and change, will be a keynote speaker at the 2013 Canadian Evaluation Conference.

Strategy goes hand in hand with evaluation. The most effective program in the world can’t be completely successful unless the results can be measured against a comprehensive performance management system. Putting the systems in place is the legacy of evaluation giants like Hallie Preskill (PhD), who has spent her life providing evaluation, learning and training workshops and services for a range of organizations. These include healthcare, nonprofit, education, foundation, government, and corporate entities. Dr. Preskill will be a keynote speaker at the 2013 evaluation conference presented by the Canadian Evaluation Society.

It’s Time, Says Hallie

“The time couldn’t be better for a conference devoted to Evaluation Across Boundaries,” says Dr. Preskill. “For evaluation to remain relevant, credible, and useful, it will have to adapt and change to new and emerging contexts and environments.  This means that evaluators will need to think out of the box – we will need to expand our understandings and practices in ways that challenge conventional boundaries and the status quo. I am excited about what promises to be a thought provoking, stimulating, and boundary pushing event!”

Making a Difference

Hallie Preskill always wanted to make a difference. She believes in a world where evaluation is a social catalyst for change , where individuals, groups, communities and organizations learn constantly about and from evaluation. Dr. Preskill has held academic roles at three universities, where she shared her knowledge by teaching courses in programme evaluation, organizational learning, appreciative inquiry and training and organization development. It wasn’t enough, however, for Dr. Preskill.  “While I always hoped I was making a difference through my teaching, research, and writing, I knew I wanted to make a different kind of difference,” she says.

Bringing Professionals Together

A member of the American Evaluation Association for many years, in 2007 Dr. Preskill became president of the organization. In her opening speech at that year’s conference in Baltimore, Maryland, she expressed the hope that the topic Evaluation and Learning would generate insights into the way evaluation facilitated learning and how capacity was developed. The conference brought together more than 2,500 evaluation practitioners, academics, and students, and represented a unique opportunity for attendees to meet with professional colleagues in a supportive, invigorating atmosphere.

Growing the Discipline

Two years later, in 2009, Dr. Preskill joined FSG (formerly the Foundation Strategy Group) as a member of the leadership team and managing director of the group’s strategic evaluation approach area. In this position, she leads a team of consultants in developing tools and resources to help grow the field of evaluation and provide expertise in healthcare, education, community engagement and human rights, among other topics.

“At FSG, I have the privilege of guiding our strategic learning and evaluation practice, through which we design and implement evaluations, evaluation systems, workshops, webinars, and organizational learning processes, in addition to building the field’s evaluation knowledge,” says Dr. Preskill.

Accolades

Dr. Preskill has authored and collaborated on a number of books, including:

1. Becoming the Change (2011),
2. Reframing Evaluation through Appreciative Inquiry (2006),
3. Building Evaluation Capacity: 72 Activities for Teaching and Training (2005),
4. Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting (1999, 2005), and
5. Evaluation in Organizations: A Systematic Approach to Enhancing Learning, Performance & Change (2001, 2009).

Dr. Preskill has been awarded American Evaluation Association’s Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Award for Outstanding Professional Practice in 2002 and the University of Illinois Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004.

For more information about the 2013 Canadian evaluation conference, please click here to visit the website.