Slide Virtual Conference: October 21, 2025 Politics, Progress & Possibility Exploring Program Evaluation in Ontario
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Session Information

We are pleased to present the full listing for Politics, Progress and Possibility, our one-day virtual conference on October 21, 2025. Please click on the session name for more information. A full list of the day’s speakers and presenters is here.

Tickets are available here.

Session List – October 21, 2025

The CES-ON Virtual Conference will include a number of breaks throughout the day.

9:00 –9:30 am: Virtual Breakfast and Networking Opportunity

9:30–9:45 am: Conference Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:45 am–10:15 am: Keynote Presentation: Between Speed and Substance: AI’s Place in Evaluation

Session Details
9:45—10:15 am: Keynote Presentation
Between Speed and Substance: AI’s Place in Evaluation with Ronit Novak.
This keynote offers a grounded, human-centred approach to deciding when and how to use AI so that technology enhances, rather than undermines, evaluative integrity.
See full session description and Ronit’s bio here

10:30–11:30 am: Rapid Sessions

Session Details
10:30 –11:30 am: Rapid Sessions

Four back-to-back short sessions on evaluation topics, featuring:

1) Katherine Slemon on trust-based philanthropy
2) Sophie Llewelyn and Medha Aurora on AI-assisted thematic analysis
3) Emma McDonald on embedding evaluation in dynamic processes
4) Mahmoud Rahim on navigating the politicization of evaluation in the Canadian public sector

View the full session description here

11:30 am–12:00 pm: Rapid Session Q&A

Session Details
11:30 am–12:00 pm: Rapid Session Q&A
Join one of four breakout rooms for Q&As with the Rapid Session facilitators, and to network with your fellow conference attendees.

1:00—2:00 pm: Masterclass Sessions

Session Details
1:00—2:00 pm: Masterclass Sessions

Choose one of three concurrent sessions:

1) Jennifer Connoly on Health Economics “How-To”: A Step-by-Step Guide for Assessing the Value-for-Money of Healthcare Innovations
2) Mary Ferguson and Vibhuti Mehra on Sustainable Livelihoods Framework: A Strengths-based Approach to Evaluation
3) Allison Prieur and Daniela Schroter on Beyond Satisfaction: Using the Success Case Method to Evaluate and Improve Learning Initiatives

View the full session descriptions here

2:00—2:30 pm: Online Networking

2:30—3:30 pm: Expert Q&A with Astrid Brousselle

Session Details
2:30—3:30 pm: Expert Q&A

A conversation with Astrid Brousselle about current and emerging trends in program evaluation. After a structured conversation, the moderator will open the floor to questions from conference participants.

See full session details here

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