Hi there,
I’m Corey Newhouse, Founder and Principal of Public Profit. I have the honor of curating two weeks’ worth of AEA365 blogs from Oregon-based evaluators as part of the lead up to this year’s AEA conference.
This week’s posts will focus on different evaluation methods our colleagues use, including systems-oriented evaluation, Ripple Effect Mapping, making evaluation more approachable, and using R to make beautiful reports.
We’ll be back in early September with another set of blogs that will feature a variety of case studies of Oregon evaluators in action. Our authors will share stories of how they used culturally responsive approaches to evaluate an child care provider alliance, incorporated interactive activities to evaluate an eclipse watch party, and one person’s journey from evaluation outsider to advocate.
To learn even more about what Oregon-based evaluators are learning and doing, visit the Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN) website. The Oregon AEA affiliate hosts regular virtual events and shares member-curated evaluation resources.
Rad Resources
- Riding the MAX light rail is a fun and economical way to see the sights. Three lines are right by the conference center hosting the AEA conference.
- If you want a humorous take on what it’s like to visit, search “Colin the chicken” for a quick video introduction from the show Portlandia.
Hot Tips
- Anywhere you go in Portland, there’s a microbrewery and a coffee shop nearby. Take some time to get a cup of your favorite beverage while you are in town!
- If you visit Portland for this year’s AEA conference, wear a raincoat with a hood. Oregonians don’t use umbrellas. (Yes, it will rain.)
We’re looking forward to the fall and the Evaluation 2024 conference with our colleagues in the Local Arrangements Working Group (LAWG). 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 contribute to AEA365? Review the contribution guidelines and send your draft post to AEA365@eval.org. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.