Professional Development

Just one week until Evaluative Thinking with Dr. Thomas Archibald! (April 19, 9AM to 2:30PM)

Evaluative Thinking Workshop

Thomas Archibald, Ph.D.

April 19, 2022, 9AM to 2:30PM Atlantic Time

Register via EventBrite: https://evaluativethinking.eventbrite.ca


How does one “think like an evaluator”? How can program implementers learn to think like evaluators? Recent years have witnessed an increased use of the term “evaluative thinking,” yet this particular way of thinking, reflecting, and reasoning is not always well understood.

Workshop Objectives

Michael Quinn Patton warned that as attention to evaluative thinking has increased, we face the danger that the term “will become vacuous through sheer repetition and lip service.” This workshop can help avoid that pitfall. Drawing from over 10 years of research and practice in evaluation capacity building (ECB), in this workshop we will use presentations, discussions, and hands-on activities to address

(1) What evaluative thinking (ET) is and how it pertains to your context;

(2) How to promote and strengthen ET among individuals and organizations with whom you work; and

(3) How to use ET to identify assumptions, articulate program theory, and conduct evaluation with an emphasis on learning and adaptive management.

By framing evaluative thinking as both a fundamental philosophical concept at the heart of evaluation, and as an approach to ECB designed to unleash the power of inquiry throughout diverse community-serving organizations, this workshop offers principles and practices that are likely to be readily applicable across a wide array of evaluation contexts.

The Presenter – Dr. Thomas Archibald

Thomas Archibald, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech. His practice and research are focused primarily on program evaluation and evaluation capacity building. He serves as the Chief of Party/Director of the Feed the Future Senegal Youth in Agriculture project, funded by USAID/Senegal, which is increasing youth engagement in Senegal’s economic growth.

Tom is also an Associate Editor for Evaluation and Program Planning, Editorial Board Member of New Directions for Evaluation, Editorial Board Member of the American Journal of Evaluation, Board Member of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society (EERS), American Evaluation Association Board Member, and Program Co-Chair of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building Topical Interest Group

Registration

Register at: https://evaluativethinking.eventbrite.ca

Participation will be capped at 15 spots.

For questions, contact Andrealisa Belzer at [email protected].

Fee: CES Members $295, Non-Members $395*, Students $150

If event changes are required to respond to emerging COVID epidemiology or guidelines, registrants will be notified as soon as possible.

Masks are encouraged during the event when not actively eating or drinking.

If there are spots remaining, but not for your ticket type (e.g., you are a CES Member, but only non-member tickets remain), please contact [email protected].

*Learn about membership here.

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