6 June, 2013
Fireside Chats: 4 Critical Conversations to Seed and Foster Communities of Practice
It’s summer, but at the CES Toronto 2013 evaluation conference we’re having a series of Fireside Chats. These informal sessions will be held on Tuesday 11 June and your ticket is included in your Conference registration. Come and take part in one of four critical conversations to seed and foster communities of evaluation practice.
Fireside Chat #1: From the Field, to the Ivory Tower, and Back Again: Promises (and Pitfalls) of Full-Cycle Evaluation Research
Bernadette Campbell, Andy Thompson, Shevaun Nadin and Katherine Gilhnooly; Carleton University
The presenters will share some of our own experiences conducting full-cycle research on evaluation topics ranging from recommendation uptake, to stakeholder involvement, to the quality of stakeholder dialogue.
With a full-cycle approach, researchers draw on observations from practice, conduct empirical examinations based on those observations, return to the field with the empirically-derived evidence, yielding further observation, and the cycle continues.
We will focus on the specific results that emerged from our studies, but also on the promise (and pitfalls) of full-cycle evaluation research more generally, including ideas for where this kind of work might take us in the future.
Fireside Chat #2: Results of the 2013 CES Professional Development Needs Survey: Let’s Discuss
Simon Roy (Goss Gilroy Inc.), Benoit Gauthier (Circum Network Inc.), Shelley Borys (Audit and Evaluation, PHAC) and Natalie Kishchuk (Natalie Kishchuk Evaluation and Research Inc.)
A survey of CES members was conducted to consult them about their professional development needs, including the need for a series of more advanced training as a follow-up to the Essential Skills Series. The main findings of this survey will be presented and discussed during this session.
Members will have the opportunity to comment on the findings and to share their views about their professional development needs.
Fireside Chat #3: EvalPartners: A Global Evaluation Movement
Martha Mcguire, IOCE and Jim Rugh, EvalPartners, Veronica Olazabal (The Mastercard Foundation), Joe Dickman (The Mastercard Foundation), Suzanne Field (Right to Play)
EvalPartners quickly grew from a joint initiative between UNICF and IOCE to a movement that involves regional and country Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation (VOPEs), bilateral donors, the international community, international NGOs and governments.
It is a collaborative movement implemented by the EvalPartners network of organizations that share the common vision and principles set forth in the Chiang Mai Declaration. It is focusing on creating enabling environments for more effective use and influence of evaluations, building VOPE institutional capacity and capacities of individuals’ skills, with an overall focus on equity and gender-responsiveness.
This panel will provide an overview of the EvalPartners movement, outline the principles of the declaration and present information about the current major initiatives. It will also provide information about how others can get involved. We will engage the audience in discussion about the ‘blooming of a thousand evaluation flowers around the world’ as we move towards 2015 – The International Year of Evaluation.
Fireside Chat #4: Speed Mentoring for New Practitioners & Students
CES-ON New Practitioners and Students group
Speed Mentoring for New Practitioners and Students is intended for students, recent graduates and professionals building new careers in evaluation. Join our panelists from healthcare, international development, and education as they talk about their academic and professional experiences.
This session is designed as a learning opportunity for anyone breaking into the evaluation field and who is looking to learn from experts who conduct and use evaluation findings in a variety of settings. After the presentations, panelists will break into roundtables where conference delegates can have small group conversations with panel members and get advice about future career directions.
View the Full Conference Program for the informative workshops and plenary sessions, or listen to this podcast to hear about the program we’ve got lined up.
Watch our blog for more information on the 2013 conference, or subscribe to our bilingual Conference Newsletter and follow us on social media. You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.
