My name is Josh Schnell and I am co-chair of the Research Technology & Development (RTD) Evaluation Topical Interest Group (TIG) within AEA. I have been working in RTD evaluation and research assessment for over 12 years, now as director of the Academic & Government Consulting team within the Science Group at Clarivate.
As I have become increasingly involved in evaluation, various mentors have encouraged me to participate in the AEA community. During my first years as an AEA member, I submitted my work for presentation at the annual conference, as this was an excellent way for me to get feedback on my projects and to refine my approach for future work. It was also an efficient way to engage with experienced members of the RTD evaluation community to learn from their perspectives and to absorb their knowledge and advice.
As I have spent more and more time engaging with the RTD evaluation community, first supporting the TIG leadership and then joining the leadership, I’ve learned the value of creating opportunities for our colleagues to share their insights. The RTD evaluation community comes together from across the globe and from many different educational backgrounds, and it employs a wide variety of techniques to understand the process and outcomes of research, technology & development initiatives within government, not-profit, academic and private sectors. This variety in perspective and approach provides a rich environment in which to learn and grow.
With the challenges we are facing right now connecting with others outside our most intimate circles, we are looking for ways to increase engagement virtually. And so, at the start of the RTD TIG week on aea365, I encourage you to get involved with our TIG to bring your perspective to the community and to learn from others. Stay here all week to learn from some of the members of our RTD evaluation community, and I hope that you will end the week with us considering how you can contribute in the future by sharing your time and expertise. Please visit our TIG site to learn more about these opportunities.
The American Evaluation Association is celebrating RTD TIG Week with our colleagues in the Research Technology and Development TIG. All of the blog contributions this week come from our RTD TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.