Nominations are now being accepted for the seven American Evaluation Association Awards. Please take this opportunity to acknowledge outstanding colleagues and outstanding work. Through identifying those who exemplify the very best in the field, we honor the practitioner and advance the discipline. Find out more on AEA's Awards Page.

May 2: Evaluate More Strategically - Efrain Gutierrez 

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 2, 2:00-2:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! There is an emerging trend in the philanthropic sector toward being more deliberate about the intersection of strategy and evaluation. Foundations and nonprofits are being more intentional about learning from their work by evaluating their programs and initiatives, but often lack an overarching structure that brings evaluation activities together into a comprehensive strategy. This webinar will explain one solution - the concept of Strategic Learning and Evaluation Systems. They describe learning in terms of "why", "how", "when", and "by and with whom", and determine to what extent various programs, initiatives, processes, or policies will be evaluated and with what resources.

 
Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/251591792

May 5-10: Alaska Evaluation Network (AKEN) Affiliate Week on aea365       

Join us as one of AEA's newest affiliates - the Alaska Evaluation Network - shares hot tips, cool tricks, and lessons learned all this week on aea365.

Go to aea365 and use the buttons to subscribe to a tip-a-day via email:
http://aea365.org/blog/ 

May 7: Overview of Rainbow Framework for Evaluation - Irene Guijt  

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 7, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 1 in an 8-part series, provides an overview of the tasks involved in planning and conducting an evaluation. These tasks are grouped into 7 clusters shown in the BetterEvaluation 'Rainbow Framework'. An evaluation plan sets out how to (1) Define what is to be evaluated, (2) Frame the boundaries of the evaluation, (3) Describe activities, outcomes, impacts and context, (4) Understand Causes of outcomes and impacts, (5) Synthesize data from one or more evaluations, (6) Report and Support Use of findings, and (7) Manage the evaluation. In each webinar, the expert presenter will discuss one of the evaluation steps in the framework and outline the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public.

 
Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/238653488

May 7, 14, 21 & 28: Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Evaluators - Katherine McKnight 

eStudy - Tuesdays, 1:30-3:00 PM Eastern

Quantitative data offers opportunities for numerical descriptions of populations and samples. The challenge is in knowing which analyses are best for a given situation. Designed for the practitioner needing a refresher course and/or guidance in applying several univariate quantitative methods to evaluation contexts, the workshop covers the basics of parametric statistics, as well as how to report your findings.

Mini-lectures, computer demonstrations, and homework will introduce methods and concepts. The instructor will review examples of research and evaluation questions and the application of specific statistical methods appropriate to developing a quantitative data-based response.

This eStudy course will occur in 4 90-minute sessions (with a 5 minute break in the middle of each to reflect and catch up on notes) and will include preparation materials sent before, between, and after the sessions. 

Day 1: Measures of central tendency & dispersion (e.g., means & std deviations), the basic General Linear Model, and the t-test
Day 2: Extend session 1 to ANOVA models
Day 3: Extend the application of the GLM to correlational analyses, i.e. bivariate correlation
Day 4: Finish with multiple correlation, i.e. linear regression

All 4 sessions will make a conceptual tie to the GLM and show how tests of means (e.g., t-tests & ANOVAs) and tests of correlation (bivariate and multiple regression) are extensions of the GLM and are therefore related.

Presenter: Katherine McKnight applies quantitative analysis as Principal Director of Research for Pearson's Center for Educator Effectiveness and is co-author of Missing Data: A Gentle Introduction (Guilford, 2007). Additionally, she teaches research methods, statistics, and measurement in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. 

Register: https://www.eval.org/webinar_reg/Registrationtop.asp 

Last day to register is Wednesday April 30 

May 8 & 15: Staying Power: Intermediate Consulting Skills - Gail Barrington 

eStudy - Wednesdays, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Eastern

Are you already managing a consulting practice? Do you find that you look forward to the field work but avoid dealing with the small business demands? Join Gail Barrington in this 3 hour webinar series as she explores some of these challenging consulting management issues. 

Evaluators and applied researchers may be well versed in academic research processes, but uncertain about how to handle the entrepreneurial and small business management skills needed to be successful independent consultants. For those aspiring to have a thriving practice, this workshop addresses common problems encountered in the day-to-day running of a small consulting business and identifies some of the key issues faced by consultants.

This workshop will help participants problem solve around the ongoing challenges of a consulting practice. For those looking to fine-tune their current professional practice, a seasoned practitioner/award winner/author will share from her more than two decades of experience. This eStudy will occur in two 90-minute sessions. Each session will cover three inter-related topics.

Day 1: Fresh approaches to marketing, Pricing strategies, Contracting for success 

Day 2: Communicating with clients, Managing work processes, Fostering innovation 

Day 3: Plan for data reporting and use. And plan for human and financial resources.

Presenter: Gail Barrington has more than 25 years of practical experience. She founded Barrington Research Group, Inc. in 1985 and has conducted more than 100 program evaluation studies. In 2008, Gail won the Canadian Evaluation Society award for her Contribution to Evaluation in Canada. A frequent AEA presenter, she is the author of a new book entitled Consulting Start-up & Management: A Guide for Evaluators and Applied Researchers, released by SAGE in 2012.
 
Register: https://www.eval.org/webinar_reg/Registrationtop.asp 

Last day to register is Wednesday May 1 

May 9: Define What Is To Be Evaluated - Simon Hearn  

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 9, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 2 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to define what is to be evaluated - developing an initial description, developing or refining the program theory/theory of change, and identifying possible unintended results. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/837026544

May 14: Frame the Boundaries of the Evaluation - Patricia Rogers   

Coffee Break Webinar - Tuesday, May 14, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 3 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to frame the evaluation - deciding the purpose(s) of the evaluation, the key evaluation questions, and determining what success looks like for the intervention. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/719234112

May 16: Describe Activities, Results and Context - Irene Guijt    

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 16, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 4 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to answer descriptive evaluation questions - deciding sampling strategies, developing or selecting measures and indicators, collecting or retrieving data in other ways, managing and analysing data, and combining qualitative and quantitative data. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/862584377

May 21: Understand Causes of Outcomes and Impacts - Jane Davidson     

Coffee Break Webinar - Tuesday, May 21, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 5 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to answer causal evaluation questions - using research designs and other strategies to understand the contribution of a program or policy to observed results. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/429407368

May 23: Synthesize Data from One or More Evaluations - Patricia Rogers      

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 23, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 6 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on combining data from one evaluation or from many evaluations to make overall evaluative judgments - including different approaches to systematic review of existing literature. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public.

 
Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/285351440

May 28: Report and Support Use of Findings - Simon Hearn       

Coffee Break Webinar - Tuesday, May 28, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members! This webinar, part 7 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to report findings and to support use of them - including ways of developing reporting media, strategies to improve accessibility, develop recommendations, and assist individuals and organisations to understand and use findings. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/780806072

May 30: Manage an Evaluation - Kerry Bruce        

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, May 30, 4:00-4:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members!

This webinar, part 8 in an 8-part series on the BetterEvaluation rainbow framework, focuses on tasks to manage an evaluation - including understanding and engaging stakeholders, establishing decision-making processes for the evaluation, deciding who will conduct it, securing resources, defining evaluation standards, documenting agreements (including contractual arrangements) and formal evaluation plans and developing evaluation capacity. The webinar outlines the tasks involved, options for carrying out those tasks, and resources from the BetterEvaluation site that can assist any evaluator. All webinars in this particular series are open to the public. 

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/940320017

June 13: A Brief Introduction to the 12 Steps of Evaluation Data Cleaning - Jennifer Morrow        

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, June 13, 2:00-2:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members!

Rarely are evaluators given data that is ready to be analyzed. Missing data, coding mistakes, and outliers are just some of the problems that evaluators should address prior to conducting analyses. In this webinar we will review our 12-step method for cleaning evaluation data. Attendees will gain a basic understanding of each of the 12 steps as well as be given resources to help guide them through each of the steps.

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/175660584

June 17 & 19: An Executive Summary is Not Enough: Effective Reporting Techniques for Evaluators - Kylie Hutchinson  

eStudy - Wednesdays, 2:00 -3:00 PM Eastern

As an evaluator you are conscientious about conducting the best evaluation possible, but how much thought do you give to communicating your results effectively? Do you consider your job complete after submitting a lengthy final report? Reporting is an important skill for evaluators who care about seeing their results disseminated widely and recommendations actually implemented.

This eStudy course will be presented in two 90-minute sessions:

Day 1: overview of three key principles of effective reporting and its role in effective evaluation

Day 2: innovative reporting techniques

Presenter: Kylie Hutchinson has served since 2005 as the trainer for the Canadian Evaluation Society's Essential Skills Series (ESS) in British Columbia. Her interest in dissemination and communications stems from twenty years of experience in the field of evaluation. 

Register: https://www.eval.org/webinar_reg/Registrationtop.asp  

Last day to register is Wednesday June 10 

June 20: Acknowledging the "Self" in Developing Cultural Competency - Cindy Crusto & Osman Ozturgut         

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, June 20, 2:00-2:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members!

AEA's Public Statement on Cultural Competence in Evaluation states that "Cultural competence requires awareness of self, reflection on one's own cultural position, awareness of others' positions, and the ability to interact genuinely and respectfully with others" and that "Competence in one context is no assurance of competence in another." For learning to occur, we need to examine a wide variety of perspectives, including our own. Through this webinar, participants will learn to examine issues in cross-cultural communication from multiple perspectives (lenses) to begin understand the "self" in the journey toward greater cultural competency.

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/156795440

June 27: Understanding Evidence: CDC's Tool to Support Evidence-Based Decision Making - Natalie Wilkins          

Coffee Break Webinar - Thursday, June 27, 2:00-2:20 PM Eastern

Free for AEA Members!

Understanding Evidence is a new, interactive web resource developed by CDC's Division of Violence Prevention that supports practitioners in making evidence-informed decisions. The goal of evidence-based decision making is to bring a high standard of research evidence into the decision-making process while taking into account the contextual and experiential factors that influence decisions. In this webinar, practitioners will learn how to 1) define the multiple forms of evidence involved in evidence-based decision making, 2) identify standards of rigor for best available research evidence, 3) Identify sources of and ways to collect each type of evidence, and 4) Identify key stages and characteristics of an evidence-based decision making process.

Preregister https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/969394760