September 2025 e-Essential Skills Series
2025-09-22 08:00 - 2025-11-29 17:00 UTC | Online
The Canadian Evaluation Society’s on-line ten-week course offers participants with a basic understanding of the main models and practices of evaluation. No prior knowledge of evaluation or social science research methods is required to participate. Participants will gain:

Basic knowledge and skills,
Appreciation for essential elements of evaluation,
Capacity to apply acquired knowledge and skills, and
Development as an evaluation professional.

The Essential Skills Series is ten self-paced learning modules that cover everything from basics like the objectives of evaluations, all the way through to practical skills such as budgeting and workplan development. The discussion forum encourages knowledge transfer/sharing among participants and instructor, instructor reviewed assignments to guide learners and real-time Zoom learning at the start and conclusion of the course.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the role of evaluation in the program lifecycle;
Explain common evaluation terms, functions, and approaches;
List the steps in planning and conducting an evaluation;
Describe how common social science data collection methods are used in evaluations;
Describe the value and use of project management concepts in evaluations;
Outline ways to support the use of evaluation findings and produce actionable evaluation reports; and
Recognize evaluation standards and ethical principles and identify their role in the professionalization of evaluation in Canada.

Learners will be expected to:

Complete one module per week independent of the facilitator;
Participate regularly in discussion forums with participants and the instructor;
Complete seven assignments to submit to facilitator for review/feedback

About the Facilitator
Dr. Keiko Kuji-Shikatani, Credentialed Evaluator, is a Canadian Evaluation Society Fellow (CESF), and a CES Credentialing Board member. Keiko has studied embedding monitoring and evaluation systems in organization for her doctoral work which she continues to expand through her evaluation practice for over 35 years. She is an international expert on principle-focused developmental evaluation for learning as we go for continuous quality improvement in the public sector, evaluative thinking, evaluation use, evaluation capacity building, evaluator competencies and professionalization of evaluators. Keiko was instrumental in the development and the operationalization of the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Credentialed Evaluator Designation and documented our Canadian experience for the use of other evaluations societies around the world in a special edition of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation.

Collective Traction for Evaluation Impact: Project Management Skills
2025-10-14 10:00 - 2025-11-11 13:00 | Online
Upcoming session:

October 14, 28, November 11, 2025
Online
Register today!

Collective Traction for Evaluation Impact: Project Management Skills
Facilitator: Erich Koroschetz

Even the best evaluation can stall if the work plan isn’t clear, collaborative, and adaptable. Join us for a three-part series on how to improve and clarify your evaluation goals and project management skills.
Monitoring and Evaluation professionals play a pivotal role in guiding organizations to evidence that supports mission-critical decisions, but who decides what those decisions should be? Additionally, organizing and managing complicated evaluations requires a structured approach to reliably satisfy expectations over the course of an evaluation. This course equips M&E practitioners with practical and essential design-thinking and project management skills to enhance the effectiveness of their evaluations.
Through interactive sessions and hands-on exercises, participants will learn to clarify requirements for human-centred evaluations, break down complex goals into manageable steps, and coordinate activities in a structured and adaptive manner. The course emphasizes the use of applicable design-thinking principles and tools to ensure inclusivity and alignment with constituent needs.
By actively engaging in live Zoom learning events with enhanced interactivity features, participants will each contribute to our collective learning experience. Prior to each Session, registered participants will be issued a digital workbook, allowing them to print and capture their personal reflections and learnings throughout the session and to apply in future Sessions. Light correspondence with registered participants between sessions will encourage a sustained focus on new learning.
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Session 1: A Human-Centred Approach to Define Your Evaluations
October 14, 2025 | 10:00am – 1:00pm
Defining Your Service’s Mission-Critical Criteria
Uncover what is truly meaningful to those who use and are a part of the services you are monitoring.
Together, we will explore foundational Design-Thinking concepts and use empathy-based service design tools to define methods and criteria for evaluating various services we encounter together. By the end of this session, participants will be able to use Design-Thinking tools to reveal evaluation requirements that honour and reflect a diversity of user perspectives.
Session 2: Structuring Your Evaluations for Shared Success
October 28, 2025 | 10:00am – 1:00pm
Visualize Your Evaluation Project
Structure comprehensive evaluations to ensure your team and partners are familiar with their responsibilities.
In this session, participants will apply learnings from Session 1 to define the key objectives and contextual assumptions that shape the scope of their evaluation project. Together, we’ll consider how program and service assets like logframes help to break the evaluation into practical “work packages” that can be shared among team members to produce the critical deliverables and outcomes of the evaluation project’s overall scope. At the end of this session, participants will be able to clearly outline an evaluation project’s scope, requirements, and team roles and responsibilities.
Session 3: Co-Creating an Actionable Evaluation Work Plan
November 11, 2025 | 10:00am – 1:00pm
Develop Your Resilient Work Plan
Galvanize your evaluation strategy with an adaptive plan.
Building on the clarity and structure established in earlier Sessions, together we will explore logical dependencies between work packages and map the overall process based on core assumptions. We will explore project management strategies that preserve the core success criteria of the evaluation while flexing plans when you are confronted with unfolding real-world conditions. By the end of this session, participants will have consolidated their understanding of how a well-structured, adaptive work plan protects the intent and integrity of a collaboratively developed, mission-oriented evaluation.
Learning outcomes:
Domain 1: Reflective Practice
1.4 Considers the well-being of human and natural systems in evaluation practice
Domain 2: Technical Practice
2.1 Clarifies the purpose and scope of the evaluation
2.3 Clarifies the program theory
2.4 Frames evaluation topics and questions
Domain 3: Situational Practice
3.1 Examines and responds to the multiple human and natural contexts within which the program is embedded
3.2 Identifies stakeholder’ needs and their capacity to participate, while recognizing, respecting and responding to aspects of diversity.
3.3 Respects all stakeholder and strives to build and maintain trusting relationships
3.5 Monitors and responds to organizational changes and changes in the program environment during the course of the evaluation.
Domain 4: Management Practice
4.1 Provides leadership to the evaluation project
4.2 Defines work parameters, plans and agreements for the evaluation
4.4 Coordinates the work of other team members
4.5 Uses group management and facilitation skills
Domain 5: Interpersonal Practice
5.1 Uses communication strategies appropriate to the cultural, linguistic, social, and political context
About the Facilitator:
Erich Koroschetz is an experienced guide in project management, quality improvement, and change management, with over 20 years of leading projects, improvement, and evaluation initiatives in both public and private sectors. As a post-secondary educator known for his engaging, candid, and inclusive style, Erich connects proven insights to real-world application, helping professionals achieve clarity, collaboration, and measurable results. Erich operates a consulting practice dedicated to equipping public enterprise with skills and resources to deliver projects responsibly for community change.

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!

Eval Café: Games & Mingling Night
2025-11-20 17:30 - 20:30 | The Dylan Bar, 1276 Danforth Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M4J 1M6, Canada
Join us for a relaxed, social Evaluation Café where we’ll mix purposeful networking with a couple of light, laughter-friendly games to help folks connect across projects, sectors, and roles. Expect easy icebreakers (think Human Bingo / Speed-Friending energy), evaluator-adjacent shenanigans, and plenty of time to chat.
What to expect

5:30–5:50 Check-in, grab a bite, casual intros

5:50–6:25 Game #1: quick mixer to meet new people

6:25–6:55 Game #2: small-group fun (zero prep required)

6:55–7:30+ Open networking

Food & drinks: Light snacks provided; drinks available for purchase at the bar.
Who should come: Evaluators, researchers, data/strategy folks, students, and anyone evaluation-curious.
Vibe: Friendly, low-stakes, come-as-you-are.

Eval Café: Evaluation Trivia
2026-01-07 12:00 - 13:00
To start the new year, let’s have a bit of fun together. Join us for some trivia about evaluation and your peers!

Evaluation Cafe Ontario online events are an opportunity for us to network and learn from our colleagues across the province. Anyone can join whether from Ontario or not, but presenters/facilitators will always be from Ontario.

We have a continuous open call for topics, activities, discussions, etc. Whatever you want to share, do, discussion with peers from across Ontario, you let us know, and we make it happen.

To RSVP, join the CES Ontario Groups.io group and RSVP online.
