Seeking consensus: Defining foundational concepts for a graduate level introductory program evaluation course

Existing scholarship indicates a wide range of variance and inconsistency in how evaluation is taught in introductory-level graduate courses between and across instructors and universities and within programs. The purpose of this study was to empirically explore faculty, student, and employers’ perceptions of what should be included in a graduate level introductory course on program evaluation. The researchers used a mixed methods approach (survey and focus group) to build consensus on and articulate key elements of an introductory evaluation course, as well as the approximate amount of time that stakeholders feel should be invested in each topic area. The results suggested consistency among stakeholders, suggesting the topics covered could form the basis for an introductory course that is consistent across instructors, programs, and institutions.     

The current state of evaluator education: A situation analysis and call to action

Education is critically important for the maintenance and growth of programme evaluation and its emergence as a profession. This position paper presents evaluator education as an initiative and provides a foundation for its evaluation. In it, the authors use Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) model to frame a review of the literature and practice. We follow this analysis of the current state of evaluator education in formal settings, with discussion of its implications, and directions for future research and action. Our analysis suggests that there is much work to be done to understand the needs for evaluator education, to delineate standards for quality in both education and practice, to identify the inputs and processes most effective for addressing those needs, and to document its ultimate impacts. The paper provides a call to action for improving the quality, consistency, and integrity of this important work.     

Expanding evaluator competency research: Exploring competencies for program evaluation using the context of non-formal education

The overlap of competencies between general program evaluation and specific contexts or content will always be reality because evaluators may need unique competencies to answer evaluation questions for particular contexts or content areas. Limited research exists that explores the essential competencies required by professionals who use evaluation as one part of their job portfolio, which leaves unanswered questions regarding the applicability of current evaluator competency models in such settings. We used a modified three-round Delphi technique to identify evaluator competencies for non-formal educators in Cooperative Extension (CE). Our panelists identified 36 competencies in the non-formal educational programming context for CE educators that they considered important to be included in evaluation capacity building efforts. We categorized our 36 identified competencies from the Delphi study into the five competency domains proposed by the American Evaluation Association. Our findings provide information to help guide professional development among non-formal educators related to program evaluation.     

Case study of an evaluation coaching model: Exploring the role of the evaluator

This study examined the role of the external evaluator as a coach. More specifically, using an evaluative inquiry framework (Preskill and Torres, 1999a, Preskill and Torres, 1999b), it explored the types of coaching that an evaluator employed to promote individual, team and organizational learning. The study demonstrated that evaluation coaching provided a viable means for an organization with a limited budget to conduct evaluations through support of a coach. It also demonstrated how the coaching processes supported the development of evaluation capacity within the organization. By examining coaching models outside of the field of evaluation, this study identified two forms of coaching — results coaching and developmental coaching — that promoted evaluation capacity building and have not been previously discussed in the evaluation literature.     

Being practical, being safe: doing evaluations in contested spaces

This final article summarizes and synthesizes the full special edition. This volume questioned evaluation as philosophy, enterprise, and practice from the point of view of doing evaluation under conditions of social violence, disruption, and division. In this final article, we clarify the issues and problems which challenge the professional practice of evaluation and propose guiding questions for evaluators designing and doing evaluation in worlds like these. We attend to the consequences for evaluation and evaluator of choosing to inhabit these violent worlds as an evaluator.     

Assessing competency-based evaluation course impacts: A mixed methods case study

The contexts in which evaluators develop and apply their expertise are increasingly complex; evaluator education needs to provide robust opportunities to support and assess the progressive, lifelong development of relevant knowledge and skills. This mixed methods case study begins to address the dearth of empirical evidence assessing the impacts and learner experiences of competency-based approaches to evaluator education. A decade-in-the-making doctoral evaluation course based on the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice created an opportune study setting. We applied a systems perspective to Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) model to frame the case study analysis and presentation of the complex impacts generated by pre/post course competency self-assessments and reflections, integrated with an end-of-course focus group. Seven insights shed new light on the effective course design and implementation features for developing intended and unintended evaluator competencies. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical, practical, and methodological implications for effective competency-based evaluator education.

• •Keywords: Case study; Competency-based approach; Evaluator education; Mixed methods research

     

Changing stakeholder needs and changing evaluator roles: the Central Valley Partnership of the James Irvine foundation

This case describes the changing roles of an evaluator as the program he was evaluating changed and developed, and as the needs of his client and primary intended users changed over time. The focus in this case is on the relationship between the external evaluator and the staff of a philanthropic foundation as a major initiative unfolded. The focus of the evaluation was learning and improvement, and as the evaluator developed recommendations for organizational capacity-building, he was commissioned by the foundation to implement his own recommendations, a form of developmental evaluation. The case explores the dynamics and challenges of such an arrangement and relationship. Those involved have agreed to have their real names used because this is a highly visible initiative and attempting to disguise the foundation and key players might undermine, in this instance, the authenticity of the case. The initiative that is the focus of the case is the Central Valley Partnership of The James Irvine Foundation headquartered in San Francisco.     

What do we know about evaluator education? A review of peer-reviewed publications (1978–2018)

This article reviews peer-reviewed writings on evaluator education from 1978 to 2018. Despite the topic’s presumed importance, scholars to date have not extensively addressed it in peer-reviewed publications. The article first describes the methods used to select articles and the conceptual framework for their analysis. It then presents the content of 64 articles selected for review, divided into two major categories: research studies, and reflective case narratives. We further divide research studies into program directories and empirical studies; the case narratives provide information on programs, curriculum, and instruction and minimally on students/faculty. The article concludes with thoughts on next steps for research on evaluator education.     

Cognitive complexity of evaluator competencies

A critical aspect of evaluator education and professional learning is to educate evaluators who know the major evaluation models and learn how to manage relationships and solve complex problems when conducting, critiquing, developing and interpreting evaluations. The American and Australian Evaluation Associations have specified desired evaluator competencies, although developing a core curriculum for evaluation still seems elusive. It is suggested that these various competencies can be considered in terms of their levels of cognitive complexity.A model of cognitive complexity is utilised to explore the tasks and thinking of evaluators, leading to an important distinction between ‘knowing that’ and ‘knowing how’ in relation to evaluation tasks. As an illustration of this posited relationship, the Australian ‘Evaluators Professional Learning Competencies’ were coded according to their cognitive complexity. Two-thirds of these competencies were classed as ‘knowing that’ or surface thinking, and one third were classified as ‘knowing how’ or deeper thinking. A taxonomy is offered as a method to understand models of learning necessary for evaluator education and training, as well as for further development of professional evaluator competencies.