AEA Coffee Break Demonstration Series (CBD)
We're pleased to offer a series of short coffee-break-length demonstrations of 20-minutes each that introduce tools of use to evaluators.
Via this site, you can view and PREregister for upcoming webinars (below) or sign in and go to the Webinars eLibrary to download archived recordings of previous Coffee Break Demonstrations.
If you are not a member, and would like to participate in the Coffee Break webinars, we offer a 12-month webinar pass for $80 that allows you to register for any Coffee Break webinars that you wish for one year from the month of payment. This is discounted to $30 for full-time students. Webinar passes include a free one-year AEA membership! To purchase a webinar pass, please contact Heidi in the AEA office at heidi@eval.org. She will assist you in purchasing a webinar pass and getting a passcode for webinar registration.
Upcoming Coffee Break Demonstrations
CBD098: Evaluative Thinking: The 'Je Ne Sais Quoi' of Eval Capacity Building & Practice - Tom Archibald & Jane Buckley
Scheduled: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Description: In her 2007 presidential address to AEA, Hallie Preskill asked, “How do we build the capacity of individuals, teams, and organizations to think evaluatively and engage in evaluation practice?” Her question indexes another question: What does it mean to “think evaluatively?” In this webinar, we first discuss the importance of evaluative thinking as a component of evaluation capacity building practice and as an object of inquiry within research on evaluation. Second, we draw on cognitive and education research to help develop and clarify the construct. Finally, we present some initial work done at the Cornell Office for Research on Evaluation on operationalizing and measuring this important, yet elusive, construct. We will share three data collection tools which are currently being developed—an evaluative thinking scale, an interview protocol, and an observational protocol—and discuss ways these tools might be of use in a variety of contexts.
Register: Free for AEA members (you will need your AEA username) preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/513837880
CBD099: Pro bono Evaluation: The Benefits to You, Your Client, and the Community - Leah Goldstein Moses
Sponsor: Independent Consulting TIG
Scheduled: Thursday, June 7, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Description: Pro bono evaluation is a triple-bottom-line proposition. Your client gets the professional help they need to learn and grow. The people they serve benefit from participating in programs that have been evaluated and improved. And you might just be the greatest beneficiary – you get to try something new, build strong relationships, expand your professional practice, and do something good. Embarking on a pro bono project can have risks, however. Learn how to solicit and select projects, manage a pro bono relationship, and ensure that everyone wins. You will gain simple tips for building a pro bono practice that complements your other evaluation work. In addition, examples of rating sheets, application forms, and recruiting messages will be shared.
Register: Free for AEA members (you will need your AEA username) preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/963363536
CBD100: What Can I Do with the Visualization System Weave? - Georges Grinstein
Sponsor: Data Visualization and Reporting TIG
Scheduled: Thursday, June 14, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Description: Pro bono evaluation is a triple-bottom-line proposition. Weave is an open source (and free) platform for data analysis and visualization (iWeave.org). In this Coffee Break, Weave director Georges Grinstein will briefly discuss Weave's history and demonstrate some of Weave’s capabilities. Weave can handle any type of data, including geographic, is highly customizable, and has many user interactivity features. Still in beta mode, this webinar will also give notice about the Weave developments right around the corner, including ADA compliance.
Register: Free for AEA members (you will need your AEA username) preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/954917433
CBD101: Making Evaluation Findings “Actionable” to Improve Practice - Natalie Wilkins & Sally Thigpen
Scheduled: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Description: Making sure evaluation findings and lessons learned are used to improve practice is a challenge many evaluators face. This webinar will describe a four-step framework that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention has begun to use for making important (but sometimes inaccessible) research and evaluation findings “actionable” to improve practice. A brief case study example from a suicide prevention evaluation will also be presented to illustrate how the framework can be used to turn evaluation findings into concrete, actionable tools to support practice.
Register: Free for AEA members (you will need your AEA username) preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/544262073
CBD102: Building Capacity One Click at a Time: Online Evaluation Tools at CYFERnetSEARCH.org - Amy Schaller
Scheduled: Thursday, June 28, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Description: Do you dread creating logic models? Do you have difficulty identifying appropriate evaluation instruments for your program? Would building a survey online help streamline your evaluation? A host of online resources and tools to help enhance your evaluation capacity are available at CYFERnetSEARCH.org. In this Coffee Break webinar, we'll take a tour of the online logic model and survey builder tools. We'll briefly explore the searchable database of over 150 evaluation instruments vetted for youth programming. Learn how to build your own user account and access online evaluation tools with just a few clicks. This demonstration will be presented by AEA member Amy Schaller, representing the work of the Arizona Center for Research and Outreach at the University of Arizona.
Register: Free for AEA members (you will need your AEA username) preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/669247969
CBD103: Monitoring & Evaluation Planning for Projects/Programs - Scott Chaplowe
Scheduled: Thursday, July 5, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Cosponsors: Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross/Red Crescent, United States Agency for International Development, and AEA’s International and Cross Cultural TIG
Description: This webinar is part of a four-part series on monitoring and evaluation. In this Coffee Break, Scott Chaplowe will provide concise guidance to develop and implement an M&E system for project planning, implementation, and evaluation. The webinar covers the key components of a M&E system that trace a logical train of thought from the project’s theory of change to the specific objectives needed for these changes, methods for measuring change, and protocols for collecting and analyzing data and information.
Register: Open to the public. Preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/244654536
CBD104: Evaluation Jitters Part One: Planning for an Evaluation - Alice Willard
Scheduled: Thursday, July 12, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Cosponsors: Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross/Red Crescent, United States Agency for International Development, and AEA’s International and Cross Cultural TIG
Description: This webinar is part of a four-part series on monitoring and evaluation.One of the challenges with evaluations is that staff often think the work to prepare for an evaluation is completed with the basic scope of work. As a result, evaluators often arrive to conduct an evaluation and find that some basic data organization and prep work have not been done, adding stress, misunderstandings, and cost to the evaluation. This Coffee Break will introduce The Pre-Evaluation Guide, which provides several easy steps to help prepare for an evaluation, from basic document management through logistics organization.
Register: Open to the public. Preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/773488608
CBD105: SMILER: Simple Measurement of Indicators & Learning for Evidence-based Reporting - Guy Sharrock & Susan Hahn
Scheduled: Thursday, July 19, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Cosponsors: Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross/Red Crescent, United States Agency for International Development, and AEA’s International and Cross Cultural TIG
Description: This webinar is part of a four-part series on monitoring and evaluation. To be successful projects must lean towards an adaptive management style and all staff must have a clear understanding of the project monitoring system and their role in its implementation. Yet few manuals exist on the nitty-gritty task of how to set up a monitoring system. CRS has created an approach to setting up a project monitoring system – SMILER – that includes mechanisms to turn data into useful knowledge that informs project learning and decision making whilst maintaining a focus on achieving results and reporting accomplishments. By emphasizing project monitoring, SMILER seeks to balance the need for project staff to seek and listen with the more formal obligations of evaluation to quantify and prove. The presentation will introduce SMILER and some useful tips of turning M&E rhetoric into practical reality.
Register: Open to the public. Preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/797218760
CBD106: Evaluation Jitters Part Two: Managing an Evaluation - Alice Willard
Scheduled: Thursday, July 26, 2012, 2:00 - 2:20 PM EDT
Cosponsors: Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross/Red Crescent, United States Agency for International Development, and AEA’s International and Cross Cultural TIG
Description: This webinar is part of a four-part series on monitoring and evaluation. Once an evaluation begins, the evaluation team needs a key organizational contact. This contact is often a junior staff person assigned to 'manage' the evaluation process. Rather than a technical or a senior manager, this contact's job can include helping smooth logistics (setting up meetings), providing routine communication to the organization's management about the progress of the evaluation, and also serving as the 'go to' for challenges and opportunities that come up during an evaluation. This webinar will introduce The Managing an Evaluation Guide, which provides several tips on how to schedule and organize the evaluation team.
Register: Open to the public. Preregister at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/751789457