We are delighted to introduce the team who authored this blog. Doreen Otieno is joined by Samuel Isiko, graduate students pursuing their PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation at Ohio University. We collaborated with Dr. Krisanna Machtmes, an esteemed Associate Professor from Ohio University.
First, we acknowledge the splendid work by Linfield and Tovey (2021) in New Directions for Evaluation. Linfield and Tovey emphasize the importance of case-centered teaching and learning in evaluation. Their research highlights that cases not only help students apply abstract concepts to real-world scenarios but also foster critical thinking and reflective practice, making them an integral part of effective evaluation education.
Our Take: The Graduate Students’ Perspective
As graduate students, we are at a crucial point in our academic journey where moving from theory to practice is essential. We are no longer satisfied with just understanding concepts; we crave the practical experience that will shape us into the professionals we aspire to become. After years of absorbing theories, we know that applying these theories in real-world contexts is what truly prepares us for our future careers. Just imagine being a student-turned-consultant in a classroom setup. This is precisely what we and every student crave. The question is, how best can teachers of evaluation courses approach this?
Our Suggestion: The Strategies
Incorporate Live Case Studies into the Curriculum: By analyzing real projects, students can see the direct application of theories they have learned. These cases should be relevant and complex enough to challenge students and stimulate critical thinking.
Facilitate Real-World Projects: Partnering with organizations to provide students with opportunities to work on actual evaluation projects.
The Transformative Power of the Case-Based Approach
If anyone is wondering what magic the case-based approach to teaching can create, I share our experience participating in the AEA Student Case Competition. We entered this competition with the advantage of having already engaged with the case-based approach in a classroom. This method of learning prepared us exceptionally well to tackle the challenge. The approach provided us with a robust framework for learning. Our hands-on involvement in a real project, guided by experienced professionals, transformed our understanding of evaluation. This engagement was far more enriching than traditional classroom learning; it allowed us to see the immediate relevance of our studies.
Participating in the AEA Student Case Competition was an extension of our classroom experiences. The skills we developed were directly applicable in the competition setting. We approached the competition with confidence, knowing we had a solid foundation of practical experience to draw upon. And yes, it bore fruits, as we write this blog, we emerged as runners-up receiving the Organizations Choice Award.
While there is so much more to share about our transformative journey with the case-based approach, this space is limited. Stay tuned for our upcoming reflective paper, where we will dig deeper into our experiences and insights in the case-based approach to teaching evaluation.
Our Word
Embrace the case-based approach and transform your classroom into a hub of practical learning and critical inquiry. The future of effective evaluation education lies in the power of real-world scenarios.
Rad Resources
- This 2021 New Directions for Evaluation (NDE) Issue provides several articles on Case-Centered Teaching and Learning in Evaluation.
- Linfield and Tovey (2021) explore explore the use of case studies as a key teaching method in evaluation. They cover the rationale, characteristics, and practical implementation of teaching with cases, link case-centered learning to competency development, and offer guidance on designing instructional cases.
- The Writing Evaluation Teaching Cases Checklist describes the elements that must be included in a written evaluation case, intended to help instructors and practitioners strengthen evaluation training and evaluation capacity building efforts.
The American Evaluation Association is hosting Teaching of Evaluation TIG week. All posts this week are contributed by members of the ToE Topical Interest Group. 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.