• Professional Development

    Asking for a Friend: Thinking Evaluatively About the “Conceptual Use” of Evidence for Awareness (Earth Day and Autism Month)

    In April’s #evalAFF, I reference the below diagram from a blog post entitled “Unhappy Earth Day” to invite reflection on a) examples when action to increase “awareness” may be a necessary but insufficient evaluation-use proposition, and b) how to mitigate the risk that increased “awareness” of a phenomenon will stimulate counter-productive responses such as “greenwashing” marketing and merchandise.  I also refer to pushback from #actuallyautistic on social media, for Autistic people to reclaim the narrative of “Autism Awareness” month, citing examples of how popular entertainment about Autism can perpetuate a neurotypical framing of Autistic communication as deficient, rather than different.   In follow up to our April 19 Workshop on Evaluative Thinking…

  • Professional Development

    Deadline EXTENDED to Apr 27 – Nominations for CES Conference Registration Fee Awards

    The deadline for nominations has been extended to April 27! If you or someone you know require financial support to attend the CES Conference in Winnipeg, please read on. The Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES-NS) is seeking nominations for an award to support attendance at the CES 2022 national conference, taking place from June 13 to 15, 2022 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. More information is available at https://c2022.evaluationcanada.ca. Conference registration, travel, and accommodation support is available in a limited amount for members, and one conference registration is available for a non-member. We welcome nominations of any current resident of Nova Scotia who has made or has the potential…

  • Networking,  Professional Development

    Reminder: CES-NS Journal Club (Apr 27) – The Role of Evaluative Thinking in the Teaching of Evaluation

    CES Nova Scotia Monthly Online Journal ClubApril 27, 2022, 12:05 – 12:55 p.m Atlantic Time Registration:https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcuyrrzooH9fXyzn__KDCvjqFXE-a3Piq CES-Nova Scotia is pleased to collaborate with other Atlantic CES Chapters to host an online Journal Club for CES members and guests, on the fourth Wednesday of every month. This month, we will examine a practice note from the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, entitled: The Role of Evaluative Thinking in the Teaching of Evaluation. Article abstract: In this practice note, I share some reflections on the role of evaluative thinking in the teaching of evaluation. I teach an introductory graduate-level evaluation course to Master’s and Doctoral students and also provide ECB workshops to various community-based education…

  • Professional Development

    Due April 20 – Nominations for CES Conference Registration Fee Awards

    We are now less than a week away from the deadline for nominations! This is a great opportunity for Nova Scotian residents in need of financial support to attend the CES Conference in Winnipeg. The Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES-NS) is seeking nominations for an award to support attendance at the CES 2022 national conference, taking place from June 13 to 15, 2022 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. More information is available at https://c2022.evaluationcanada.ca/. Conference registration, travel, and accommodation support is available in a limited amount for members, and one conference registration is available for a non-member. We welcome nominations of any current resident of Nova Scotia who has…

  • 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…