Hello, we are: Tatiana Bustos, participatory researcher and evaluator, Jennifer Ann Morrow, Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Mark Mulobi, Senior Associate at Digital Impact Alliance and Co-chair of EvalYouth Global Network, and Esrea Perez-Bill, Research Project Coordinator at Northwestern University. As part of the Research on Evaluation (RoE) TIG’s webinar committee, we wanted to share takeaways from the 2024 RoE TIG Webinar Series.
This webinar series, supported by the Faster Forward Fund, aimed to expand the field’s understanding of what RoE is and demonstrate its importance to advancing evaluation practice. Our committee co- designed the webinar outreach and objectives to amplify diverse voices and perspectives and embed interactive discussions to foster group learnings through our AEA community.
Overview on Webinars
Webinar 1: Rethinking Public-Private Sector Partnerships (PPPs) in Developing Countries: Lessons from Kenya with Munyiva Mutinda focused on a targeted literature review that summarized the landscape of PPPs in the context of public service delivery in developing countries. The webinar included large group discussions on where RoE can go in this space.
Webinar 2: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in NSF-funded ATE Evaluation with Drs. Ayesha Boyce, Tiffany Tovey and Neelakshi Rajeev Tewari moved into reflective aspects of evaluation, focusing on how evaluators define and measure diversity, equity, and inclusion in a case study of ATE evaluators and principal investigators. Small group discussions using vignettes were used to reflect on the evaluator role and one’s prior experiences.
Webinar 3: Attitudes, Experience, and Education on Values and Valuing in Evaluation: Results from a Mixed Method Study with Valerie Marshall moved into values and valuing evaluation in practice, using survey data from evaluators and a synthesized literature review on existing guidance. Mural boards were used to generate reactions and brainstorm implications for the field. Webinar 4: Catalysts of Systemic Change: A Community-Led Evaluation of Colombia’s Justice System with Dr. Juanita Bernal Alvarado wrapped up our series with a discussion on systems thinking using a community-based case study from Colombia to conceptualize equitable justice with key partners. Large group discussion focused on how evaluators can foster critical systems level perspectives to equitable justice.
Lessons Learned
- Co-create with diverse AEA members. Our webinar committee was made up of 6 members from different AEA TIGs, including assessment in higher education, systems evaluation, Latinx response evaluation discourse, LGBTQ+ evaluation, AfrEA DRG TIG, and Teaching of Evaluation. We strongly encourage other TIGs to create opportunities to engage AEA members in the development of a series that can resonate with members’ values, experiences, and interests.
- Be interactive. Make webinars interactive for enrichment and relationship building. Our application process required interactive components in submitted presentations, which many attendees appreciated.
- Have an organized review system for webinar applications: Having an organized and consistent system for reviewing webinar applications facilitated our process. Ensure that you create a rubric that all reviewers will use to evaluate applications and have more than one team member review each application. We aligned our rubric with the webinar’s mission, overarching objectives, and accepted video submissions.
- Include a comprehensive webinar evaluation survey: A survey for participants to complete for each webinar was helpful in making refinements to our process. Your survey should include a mix of closed and open-ended questions that addresses concepts such as knowledge of the webinar facilitators, webinar topic, level of engagement, resources provided, technical aspects of the webinar, and overall satisfaction. Include a link to the survey during and immediately after the webinar and follow-up with an email to registrants to broaden reach.
Rad Resources
The American Evaluation Association is hosting Research on Evaluation (ROE) Topical Interest Group Week. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our ROE 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. 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.