Hello! My name is Jan Noga and I am an independent consultant and owner of Pathfinder Evaluation and Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio, focusing on the evaluation of K-12 programs and support services at both the local and statewide levels. I am also the chair of the Systems in Evaluation TIG. The TIG is pleased to sponsor this week of AEA365 posts with thoughts and advice from several of our members on issues relevant to systems thinking and evaluation.
Hot Tip: We encourage you to attend some of the sessions sponsored by our TIG in San Antonio this November. We have a strong mix of sessions ranging from the applied to the conceptual as it relates to systems thinking and systems approaches in evaluation. Here is a link to the searchable schedule: http://www.eval.org/search10/search.asp
Hot Tip: Running into systems-related issues in your evaluation practice but not sure how to address them? Check out some of the professional development sessions offered this year that address one or more areas relevant to systems theory and thinking:
- Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use (Monday and Tuesday)
- Systems Thinking and Evaluation Practice: Tools to Bridge the Gap (Tuesday)
- Advanced Topics in Concept Mapping for Evaluation (Wednesday)
- Useful Tools for Integrating System Dynamics and System Intervention Elements into System Change Evaluation Designs (Wednesday)
- Social Network Analysis: Theories, Methods, and Applications (Wednesday)
- Purposeful Program Theory (Sunday morning)
Hot Tip: Come to the TIG Business Meeting at the AEA Conference. You are invited to attend the business meeting of the Systems in Evaluation TIG. Please join us on Thursday, November 11 from 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm in Lone Star B in the Grand Hyatt. The highlight of our meeting is a Meet and Greet the Authors panel discussion by TIG members Michael Patton, Patricia Rogers, Bob Williams, and Richard Hummelbrunner, authors of three new books appearing in press this year. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the cutting edge of systems and evaluation.
Hot Tip: Want to get to know us better? Join us Thursday night at Boudro’s on the Riverwalk. The Systems in Evaluation TIG is hosting this Thursday Nights Out event during AEA. It’s a chance to enjoy good food and even better company. Watch for the announcement about sign-ups from AEA.
Rad Resource: Check out our website for news and a detailed list of TIG-sponsored sessions (http://comm.eval.org/EVAL/Systems_in_Evaluation/Home/Default.aspx).
The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Systems in Evaluation Week with our colleagues in the Systems in Evaluation AEA Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our Systems TIG members and you may wish to consider subscribing to our weekly headlines and resources list where we’ll be highlighting Systems resources. You can also learn more from the Systems TIG via their many sessions at Evaluation 2010 this November in San Antonio.