Canadian Evaluation Society - Ontario Chapter

Eval Café: Developmental Evaluation and Theory of Change
2024-11-27 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online
From the Eval Café description:
Our next online evaluation cafe will feature small group discussions on Developmental Evaluation and Theory of Change.

Agenda:

10 minutes: log-on and intro
30-40 minutes: split into two groups, one for Developmental Evaluation (DE) DE and one for Theory of Change (TOC).

The DE discussion will be lead by Scott Christian (CE) a Senior Evaluator at LogicalOutcomes was 1 of 11 evaluators involved in last year’s Team Primary Care: Training for Transformation initiative which included (possibly) the largest scale developmental evaluation to date. He’s applied a developmental evaluation toolkit in a variety of other contexts too. This discussion will focus on practical insights that Scott and his colleagues have identified for effective developmental evaluations.”
The TOC discussion will be lead by Elizabeth (Lizzy) Sweitzer, who is a Monitoring and Evaluation Subject Matter Expert, working as a management consultant in the energy and sustainability field. Lizzy hosts meetups for evaluators with CES-ON and host professional development workshops for evaluators. The discussion will focus on how to make TOC’s useful after initial development.

Last 10-20 minutes come back to the large group and share key learnings.

Join online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86026011026?pwd=[REDACTED]
Interested in learning more about Eval Café and joining our Groups.io online forum? Email EvaluationCafeOntario+subscribe@groups.io to subscribe to our listserv!

2025 CES-ON AGM and Learning Event
2025-06-17 11:00 - 13:00 | Online
CES – Ontario is pleased to announce that the chapter’s Annual General Meeting will be held online on June 17, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Why Attend the AGM?
The AGM is a great opportunity to:
– Learn more about recent chapter activities;
– Elect new board members and approve any bylaw changes;
– Participate in the annual Learning Event.
Event Agenda:

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: AGM presentation, including progress on our strategic goals and upcoming chapter events

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Learning Event: IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) in Artificial Intelligence with Jane Whynot

We will distribute the Annual General Meeting package, including a full agenda, Annual Report, and audited financial statements, to all CES members and event attendees prior to the event.
About the Learning Event: IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) in Artificial Intelligence.
The potential of AI to drive progress is significant, however, the current landscape often reflects deep-seated biases and inequities that can perpetuate discrimination. Without a concerted effort to prioritize diversity and inclusion, AI systems may inadvertently reinforce existing societal disparities, ultimately leading to mistrust and harm. Recognizing these challenges is essential for fostering meaningful change and ensuring that AI serves as a tool for equity rather than a source of division. This presentation discusses the historical context from an IDEA perspective, pinpoints where biases/discrimination can be disrupted by evaluators, and provides examples of what evaluators can do.
About the Speaker:
Jane Whynot, MEd, PhD is a Partner at Goss Gilroy Management Consultants Inc (GGI), Jane has almost 30 years of experience in evaluation and performance measurement. Jane conducts work in all sectors, from employment to small business, from science to culture. Jane has a Masters of Assessment and Evaluation (University of Melbourne) and a Doctorate in Philosophy exploring how GBA Plus is integrated in the federal government evaluation function (University of Ottawa). She is an associate editor at the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation and holds adjunct status at Carleton University. Jane is committed to lifelong learning, is a seasoned keynote and routinely presents at international evaluation conferences including AEA, CES, and PPX symposia. She has designed and delivered training on evaluation, performance measurement, GBA Plus, the integration of GBA Plus in evaluation, and qualitative methods in evaluation over her career.

CES Ontario Virtual Conference: Politics, Progress and Possibility
2025-10-21 09:00 - 15:30
Join us for a conference on the theme of Politics, Progress and Possibility! Network, learn, and grow with evaluators like you!
The Canadian Evaluation Society Ontario Chapter (CES Ontario) is pleased to invite evaluation practitioners, researchers, academics, emerging evaluators, and students to join us for CES Ontario’s 2025 Virtual Conference.
Evaluation is a constantly changing field of practice, informed by new and emerging technologies, approaches, and political pressures. We will survey these topic areas, explore their interplays and connections, and discuss how to integrate them into our work.
Topic Areas:

New and next approaches to program evaluation: new evaluation processes, frameworks, and models, alternative funding models, and decolonized evaluation approaches
Technology: how AI (and other tools!) are changing evaluation, and considerations of utility and equity
Political considerations: evaluation politics in Ontario, Canadian, and international contexts, as well as managing projects and stakeholders

Conference participants will:

Gain a deeper understanding of current trends, innovations, opportunities, and challenges for enhancing and integrating approaches in evaluation.
Gain important evaluation skills to address current and future trends.
Enhance connections with other evaluators, networks, and organizations.
Contribute to discussions about the importance of evaluative thinking and evaluation practice in the areas of new approaches, technology, and politics.

Visit our Virtual Conference website for session descriptions, speaker bios, and more!
