Registration NOW OPEN for Advanced Workshops

CES Ontario - Advanced Workshops, Fall 2016

Date: November 10 & 11, 2016, Toronto, Ontario

Location: Bond Place Hotel, 65 Dundas Street East, Toronto

Ready to take your evaluation practice to the next level? Join us this November for a rare opportunity to advance your evaluation skills and to connect with expert credentialed evaluators, including past and present CES Presidents.

All workshops are offered by CES National Board members and organized by the CES Ontario Chapter. Workshops qualify for application to, and maintenance of, the Credentialed Evaluator (CE) designation.

Concurrent sessions:

Thursday, November 10, 2 pm - 5 pm

1. Advanced Survey Research — Benoît Gauthier, CE & Dr. Simon Roy, CE
2. Focus Groups in Evaluation — Dr. Harry Cummings, CE

Friday, November 11, 9 am - 12 pm

1. Conducting Complex Evaluations – Dr. Simon Roy, CE & Benoît Gauthier. CE
2. After Data Analysis: A Policy Framework for Astute Recommendations – Dr. Gail Vallance Barrington, CE

Workshop Details

SESSION A: Advanced Issues in Evaluation Survey Research and Design

This workshop will outline advanced issues in the design of surveys and their implementation, and propose some solutions. Workshop facilitators will introduce topics, foster discussion, and support an exchange of lessons learned among participants. The four topics selected, among many other possible ones, for this workshop are:

• Moving from the evaluation framework to the planning of a survey;
• Making sure that the meaning of questions is shared;
• Enhancing response rates; and
• Assessing survey research conducted by others.

Competencies:

1. Technical Practice - reliable and valid measures/tools development, data collection, assessment of data trustworthiness
2. Situational Practice – serving the information needs of intended users

About the Facilitator:
Benoît Gauthier, CE is the past President of the Canadian Evaluation Society. He received the CES Award for Contribution to Evaluation in Canada, the 2003 CES-NCC Leadership Recognition Award, the CES Exemplary Service Award, and the CESEF Award for Contribution to Research on Evaluation Practice. Mr. Gauthier teaches at ENAP and Carleton University and is an Honorary Fellow of the Northern Institute of Charles Darwin University. He spent seven years in the federal public service, was Vice-president at Ekos Research Associates and has been President of Circum Network since 1996.

SESSION B: Focus Groups in Evaluation

This workshop will illustrate a recommended process for developing and delivering a focus group to a mixed group of 5-15 people. It includes information drawn from international and Canadian experience on:

• Recruitment;
• Use of a focus group questionnaire;
• Facilitation techniques; and 
• Focus group reporting, among others.

The instructor draws from international and Canadian experience.

Competencies:

1. Technical Practice - data sources identification, data collection and interpretation, development of conclusions and recommendations

About the Facilitator:
Harry Cummings, PhD., RPP, CE is the current President of the Canadian Evaluation Society. Dr. Cummings is a professor at the University of Guelph where he teaches graduate level courses in research methods and program evaluation in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. He is a professional planner, facilitator, and is the founder and the Director of HCA. His work includes international and Canadian assignments.

SESSION C: Conducting Complex Evaluations

Evaluations can be highly complex for a number of reasons: the subject matter (or program type), program structure, evaluation governance structure, implementation circumstances and/or the sources of information. This complexity, unfortunately, can lead to a number of undesired evaluation outcomes, including delayed time lines, ill-adapted methodologies, inappropriate findings/conclusions or recommendations, conflicts and other problematic situations. For this workshop, the facilitator will present key strategies and tips that could be used for four types of challenging evaluations:

• Evaluations requiring complex methodologies;
• Horizontal and multi-program evaluations;
• Evaluations of highly complex subject matters/programs; and
• Evaluations about sensitive programs or issues.

Participants will learn about practical strategies and tools to help them deal with these complexities and achieve successful evaluations. The workshop will be presented in an interactive format that will allow participants to learn from experiences of other participants.

Competencies:

1. Technical Practice – development of evaluation designs
2. Situational Practice – examination of organizational, political, community and social contexts, respect for the uniqueness of the site
3. Management Practice – attendance to issues of evaluation feasibility, problems / issues identification and mitigation

About the Facilitator:
Simon Roy, PhD, CE has a Doctorate in Sociology (University of Paris, 1995) and is a Partner at Goss Gilroy Inc. He has conducted evaluations in a wide range of areas since 1995, including in the areas of human resources, training, science and technology, culture, economic development, Aboriginal programming, and health. He is currently treasurer at CES National.

SESSION D: After Data Analysis: A Policy Framework for Astute Recommendations

This three-hour intermediate-level workshop will explore theory and techniques to maximize the impact of evaluation results. Using a policy perspective, we will discuss strategies to use when drawing conclusions and developing meaningful recommendations. We will explore:

• Constraints and biases that work against useful evaluation conclusions and recommendations.
• A policy framework and checklist to apply the theory to practice.
• Strategies to marshal the evidence and develop astute recommendations.
• A case study for small groups to apply the checklist.

Participants will take away fresh ideas, tools, and techniques to increase the utilization of evaluation findings in their own evaluation contexts.

Competencies:

1. Technical Practice – development of conclusions and recommendations
2. Situational Practice – examination of organizational, political, community and social contexts, attending to issues of evaluation use

About the Facilitator:
Gail Vallance Barrington, PhD, CE is the Vice President of the Canadian Evaluation Society and is responsible for the Professional Designation Programs. She teaches online courses on program evaluation and research methods for both Athabasca University and Michigan State University, and in 2008 she won the Canadian Evaluation Society award for her Contribution to Evaluation in Canada.