AES E-news Archive

2005
Issue 1 - April
Issue 2 - September
Issue 3 - December

2006
Issue1 - April

AES Board and Committee Reports

President’s Report

The Society Executive met in June in Melbourne and worked through a large range issues. The following are the key issues which were subsequently discussed and approved at the Board teleconference on 20 July 2006:

• The Board approved a rise in the base membership fee of $5 from $125 to $130 to take effect on 1 October 2006. The last rise was $10 in 2003. The rise is necessary due to significant increases in the operating costs of the Society. A comparison with similar societies indicates that the AES membership fee is in the middle range. The other membership fee categories will be adjusted accordingly.

• The Board approved the process for putting to members a range of changes and updates to the AES constitution. The proposed amended constitution is available on the AES website under ‘Constitution’ in the ‘About AES’ area and was recently sent to all members. An updated constitution will be put to the AGM in Darwin in September for ratification.

Incorporation Issue

In response to concerns raised by several members, the Board is reviewing its decisions on whether the Society should remain an incorporated association or converted to a company limited by guarantee, and its tax exempt status as a scientific organisation. Graham Smith, the Treasurer, received verbal legal advice that the Society is operating legally as an incorporated association, and is now seeking that in writing. Graham has produced a paper exploring our current position and any reasons for change. He has also undertaken a similar process with the issue of tax exempt status, seeking advice from a tax accountant and from the Australian Tax Office. Two information papers outlining the Society's position on this issue and incorporation have recently been sent to all members.

On the conference front:

The report from the committee planning the 2006 conference indicated that registrations have been very strong, topping 170 for the conference and 150 for the workshops. Members wanting to attend should register immediately and book their flights and accommodation before they fill up. Looking to the future:

• A formal proposal from the 2007 Melbourne conference committee was noted by the Board and indicated that planning was progressing very well.

• The WA Committee is currently considering the option of hosting the 2008 conference in Perth and will report to the Board meeting in Darwin.

Dr Rick Cummings - AES President

International Relations Committee Report

he Society’s role in the International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE) will be presented in a paper by the Society’s representative and IOCE Secretary, Penny Hawkins, and a session is planned at the conference to discuss the IOCE. Additionally, the President of the IOCE, Dr Ross Conner, has accepted an invitation to attend the Darwin conference and the Society’s Board meeting immediately after the conference.

For more information about IOCE visit the website: www.ioce.net

Publications Committee Report

The Publications Committee has continued to be active for the Society.  We are still in catch up mode regarding the journal, this will be achieved through two further editions to be published between now and the end of the year.  Rosalind Hurworth and Delwyn Goodrick are doing an outstanding job as editors, their work for the Society is on top of the very demanding jobs they hold.  We have decided that e-news, in the capable hands of Brad Shrimpton, will continue to be seen as a stand-alone information source for members. I note that, just this week, the American Evaluation Association is commencing an electronic newsletter service to their members, so we are ahead of the game on this front.

While the website is still in a formative stage, we have had positive feedback from the membership since the re-development.  We plan to offer online membership and conference enrolments in the near future.

On the matter of improvement, several members have written to me with constructive criticism about the areas under the purview of the Publications Committee.  We welcome such comments.   The Publications Committee will be represented at the Darwin conference, so we will be available for discussion during conference week

Dr John Owen - Publications Committee (Chair)

AES 2006 Darwin Conference Update

AES International Conference - Darwin
Evaluation in Emerging Areas
September 4-7, 2006

Themes:

• International development contexts
• Indigenous contexts
• Innovative approaches to working in changing contexts
• New theoretical models and frameworks

Registrations are coming in fast for both workshops and the conference proper. The Conference program is now up on the AES website and delegates are able to click onto the presentations to view abstracts to assist with choosing sessions to attend. There will be a choice of 6 different sessions covering the four streams at any one time. The Conference Committee has allowed 5 minutes between sessions to provide time for people to stretch their legs and network. An interesting social program has been arranged to showcase the diverse culture in Darwin. Pre or Post Conference Tours can be booked through the conference organiser and are listed on the AES website. Conference satchels have been designed to depict four different Top End indigenous designs.

The Conference Committee looks forward to seeing you all at the conference in September.

For more information about 2006 AES conference visit this URL: www.aes.asn.au/conferences/

Jenny Young - Conference Convenor

Queensland Regional Committee for 2006-2007

Following the June Committee meeting, the Queensland Regional Committee for 2006/07 is as follows:

• Garry Videroni (Chair)
• Diana Beere (Regional Representative)
• June Lennie (PD Subcommittee convenor)
• Patricia Rego (Membership officer)
• Craig Trimble (Meeting secretary)
• Toni Craig
• Chris Knight
• Jill White

Diana Beere – Queensland Regional Representative

AES Historical Documents at Flinders University

AES Fellow, Colin Sharp, has successfully transferred his archive of AES historical materials to Flinders University. This has been undertaken as part of the AES History project which was pursued by Colin with the support of other Fellows including Ian Trotman, Anona Armstrong, Darel Caulley and Jerome Winston, over the past 10 years.

The collection is listed at: http://www.lib.flinders.edu.au/resources/collection/special/austevalcoll/

See also the access policy (which enables anyone to apply to the Librarian for access) at:
http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student/SecI.htm

To use document delivery (through inter-library loan) see: http://www.lib.flinders.edu.au/services/docdel/ddinfo.html

International News and Conferences

International News

Canadian Evaluation Society –Evaluator Credentialing

“The Canadian Evaluation Society has issued a request for proposals to gather factual evidence related to evaluator credentialing. The purpose of the (request for proposals) is to attract proposals to produce an action plan that would aid the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) in establishing a professional credentialing system including a member registry. By professional credentialing system is meant a mechanism or means of determining whether an applicant's educational or practical experiences and achievements warrant the award of a professional credential. The action plan would be based on fact-finding research including reviews or consultation of professional practice organizations that currently operate credentialing systems. The action plan would identify specific benefits and risks of credentialing and provide options for consideration by CES.”

Learn more about this interesting development at:
http://www.evaluationcanada.ca

North America

American Evaluation Association 2006 Conference
Date: October 30 – November 4, 2006

Theme ‘The Consequences of Evaluation’
Where: Portland, Oregon

Issues that will be explored within the main AEA conference theme will include:

“Of the possible consequences of evaluation, which should we be seeking (under what circumstances) – and why?; What evidence exists about the actual consequences of evaluation?; What are the unintended consequences of evaluation – for example, might certain kinds of programs and policies be put at greater risk because they are more likely to be evaluated?; What are consequences of past evaluations on future evaluation practice?”

Learn more about the conference at: www.eval.org/

Europe

European Evaluation Society (EES) 7th Biennial Conference
October 4 - 6, 2006

Title: ‘Evaluation in Society: Critical Connestions’
Location: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, UK

This will be a joint conference held with the United Kingdom Evaluation Society:

“The conference invites evaluators, commissioners of evaluation and users to reconsider the role of evaluation in democracy, what it contributes to social and public policy and how it reflects and shapes cultures and institutions. The conference is expected to be the largest evaluation conference ever held in Europe and has already attracted widespread interest from around the world. This is not an event to be missed by anyone who wishes to know about thinking and current developments in evaluation in Europe and around the world.”

Learn more about the conference at: http://www.europeanevaluation.org/news

New Evaluation Books

Thinking of catching up on some evaluation reading?

New or coming soon from SAGE:

• Concept Mapping for Planning and Evaluation - Mary Kane
• The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation - Ian Shaw
• Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry - Hallie Preskill
• RealWorld Evaluation - Michael Bamberger

Visit: http://www.sagepub.com/

Evaluation Resources on the Net

Newslists

An impressive list of ‘newslists’ from around the world can be found on the Canadian Evaluation Society website. Just a few of the topics covered by the newslists include:

• Health Care Evaluation
• Public Sector Program Evaluation
• Systems in Evaluation
• Peace and Conflict Resolution Evaluation
• Quantitative Methods:
• Participatory Action Research

http://www.evaluationcanada.ca/site.cgi?s=6&ss=4&_lang=en

Discussion lists can also be found on the AES website at the following URL:

http://www.aes.asn.au/links/

Evaluation Gap Update

Those interested in the evaluation of aid and development programs may wish to consider subscribing to ‘Evaluation Gap Update’ produced by The Centre for Global Development (‘an independent think tank that works to reduce global poverty and inequality by encouraging policy change in the U.S.’). Evaluation Gap Update discusses various issues associated with ‘the lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of social programs in low- and middle-income countries’.

Interested in Evaluation Gap Update? Visit:
http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/evalgap/eupdate

Positions Vacant

Local Jobs

Looking for a new job? Visit the www.aes.asn.au/news/ page on the AES website.
Please note: there are currently a number jobs (Australia and New Zealand) on the AES website!

Looking for new staff? Contact the AES office aes@aes.asn.au to advertise positions on the AES website.

Jobs Abroad

Feel like working abroad? Evaluation jobs in Europe and beyond can be found at:
http://www.europeanevaluation.org/?page=756959

Get Involved in Your Regional Branch

To access the latest reports and news on upcoming activities at your local AES branch click on the 'Regions' link on the AES website. www.aes.asn.au/regions/

Want to contact your region representative? Here are their names and email addresses:

2006 Regional Representatives

Canberra
David Roberts
David.Roberts@centrelink.gov.au

New South Wales
Marie Delaney
marie.delaney@artd.com.au

Northern Territory
Nea Harrison
neaharrison@octa4.net.au

Queensland
Diana Beere
diana.beere@qed.qld.gov.au

South Australia
Anne Bosio Acting contact)
bosio.anne@saugov.sa.gov.au

Tasmania
Thomas Hay
thomas.hay@development.tas.gov.au

Victoria
Graeme Harvey
Harvey.Graeme.lg@edumail.vic.gov.au

Western Australia
John Scougall
jscougal@bigpond.net.au

Wellington
Nan Weihipehana
nanw@clear.net.nz

Contact the E-News Editor

If you have contributions or a notice for E-News please email the E-News editor, Brad Shrimpton bshrimpt@unimelb.edu.au