AES E-Newsletter - November 2007

AES E-news Archive

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

2006
Issue 1 - April
Issue 2 - August
Issue 3 - December

2007
Issue 1 - April

 

AES President’s Report

You will be reading this in the aftermath of a very successful conference in Melbourne. Congratulations to Graeme and the organizing committee for the work they put in to ensure that all participants were able to gain the most from the conference – professionally, intellectually and socially. The keynotes provided thoughtful insights into different aspects of evaluation and the parallel sessions, roundtables, posters, workshops and panels gave the opportunity to follow up on a myriad of ideas and debate their merits. The great collection of hats at the dinner was a further example of the diversity of evaluators in action. The growing number of attendees, over 400 participants this year, attests to the important part the annual conference plays for the evaluation community in Australasia and further a field.

Last year’s conference in Darwin brought the development aspect of evaluation to the fore and was evident again as a strong strand in Melbourne. The involvement of AES with IOCE gives us a forum to extend moves in this direction along with international networking. A reception for international participants and scholarship awardees was held at the Melbourne conference which provided an excellent opportunity to establish new links and renew former ones. Putting ‘faces to names’ is one of the benefits of such gatherings as is the chance to promote evaluation activities in other parts of the world.

Over the next 12 months the Board will be working on the recommendations of the report by Ted Dahms on the governance of AES. The summary of the report, members’ survey and action plan are all available on the AES website and make interesting reading (http://www.aes.asn.au/about/). Graeme Harvey, in his role as Vice President of AES, is leading a small working group to develop alternative structures for the governance of the Society. It is expected that further information on the deliberations of this group will be available next year.

Finally, in this my first comment as AES President, I would like to pay tribute to the excellent work done by Dr Rick Cummings over his three terms as AES President. As you will be aware a number of initiatives have flourished under his leadership and now he will be able to direct his energy to the Perth conference in 2008 in case he is in any danger of AES withdrawal symptoms. I look forward to working with the Board and members of AES in my new role.

Associate Professor Jenny Neale - AES President

AES 2007-2008 Board

Executive and Board members were announced at the 2007 AGM and details can be found at http://www.aes.asn.au/about/

AES 2007 Post Conference Thoughts

AES International Conference - Melbourne
Doing Evaluation Better
September 3-7, 2007

Reflecting on the recent AES conference Dr Graeme Harvey, Conference Convenor, offers seven thoughts on some of the highlights, success factors and learning points to emerge from the 2007 AES conference held in marvellous Melbourne.

Thank you to the Organising Committee: Ranjit Bhagwandas, Lynda Berends, Delwyn Goodrick, Graeme Harvey, Ros Hurworth, Bridget Roberts, Patricia Rogers, Brad Shrimpton, Francois Tsafack, Zita Unger. Thanks also to all those who participated in any way and comments and thoughts most welcome to assist in making next year’s conference even better. Thinking back over the conference I think there are a number of important ‘learnings’ that the AES can take onboard, here are seven that I believe are worth considering:

1) Conference strands work best when they provide real opportunities for discussion and debate for participants and when you actively seek to explore the questions they pose. Thanks to Patricia Rogers for running the session on the Thursday of the Conference that provided an opportunity for this type of discussion and to explore the issues these questions raise.

2) Conference programs need to provide as much opportunity as possible for interaction and discussion. Integrating discussion-based sessions is a good way of doing this but we need to be clear on what we are trying to achieve and the best way to manage these sessions.

3) Conference program development is highly dependent on the abstracts provided for the selection of papers and posters. In asking for abstracts we need to make sure that intending participants are provided with appropriate criteria that will guide the development of the abstract and assist decision making.  

4) Conferences need to celebrate the work that goes into the posters and the opportunity provided by their presenters to meet and discuss their work. Many productive and interesting discussions could be heard.

5) Conference program management is dependent on efficient and effective IT backup. Although a major cost for the conference, the ability to seamlessly present across the five concurrent sessions and to make almost instant changes were required, was a huge benefit.

6) Conferences need to actively support indigenous involvement and visibility throughout the conference. Some very productive discussion with indigenous participant’s indicated that there are ways this can be improved. These ideas will be put into the Conference Planning Manual for the advice of future conferences.

7) Finally, conferences are dependent on the venue to provide the high standard service and facilities that you believe you have paid for. No matter how hard you try, it seems this aspect is may be the hardest aspect of all to manage -  and I know it’s a truism but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Thank you again to all local, national and international participants for making the Melbourne conference such a successful and enjoyable event.

Dr Graeme Harvey – 2007 Conference Convenor

AES 2007 Award Winners

The AES Awards for Excellence in Evaluation recognise Australasia’s leading evaluators, leading evaluations and evaluation best practice. The winners represent the best-in-class for each Award category and offer significant peer recognition.

This years Award winners were announced at the AES Conference dinner held in Melbourne September 2007 and this year included two new awards: the Emerging New Talent Award, and the Indigenous Evaluation Achievement Award.

The Awards criteria were revised this year and standardized. They included common principles of excellence, professionalism and ethical conduct. In addition to the three common principles, all AES Awards are assessed against the same six criteria which define “excellence in evaluation” – although with different weightings depending on the nature of the specific award. The six criteria that define excellence in evaluation are quality, leading edge, contribution to knowledge, effectiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability.

With a drum role the winners of the 2007 awards are:

The Outstanding Contribution to Evaluation (ET&S) Award 2007

Ms Penny Hawkins

The Emerging New Talent Award 2007

Brad Shrimpton, The University of Melbourne

The Evaluation Study Award 2007

Associate Professor Patricia Rogers, Ms Sue Funnell, Mr John Scougall, Ms Keryn Hassall, Mr Peter Tyler, Associate Professor Gerald Elsworth, Ms Sue Kimberley, and Ms Kaye Stevens for the Consortium of CIRCLE (RMIT University), KPMG and Performance Improvement in recognition of the contribution made through The Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004.

Commendation (The Evaluation Study Award 2007)

Dale Miller and Karen Trimmer, Department of Education & Training WA in recognition of the contribution made through the Middle School Evaluation

The Evaluation Policy and Systems Award 2007

Ms Karen Goltz, Professor Yoland Wadsworth, Dr Ani Wierenga and Ms Gai Wilson in recognition of the contribution made through the NEAR (Narrative Evaluation Action Research) Project: An Integrated Health Promotion Evaluation Organisational Capacity Building Initiative.

The National Advocacy Award 2007

The Victorian Department of Human Services, North and West Metropolitan Region

The Indigenous Evaluation Award 2007

Dr Inez Dussuyer, Ombudsman Victoria in recognition of the contribution made through the Victorian Implementation Review of the Recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
Nominations for all Awards close on 30 June 2007.

Dr Zita Unger – Awards Committee

Induction of Professor Yoland Wadsworth as AES Fellow

At the Awards night Professor Yoland Wadsworth (Adjunct Professor at the University of Melbourne) was made a Fellow of the AES for her significant conceptual, research and practice contributions to the development and enrichment of the evaluation profession and for her promotion and support of the AES.

In a career in evaluation spanning more than 30 years, Professor Wadsworth has demonstrated sustained and effective use of innovative consumer-based approaches and her work has had extensive impact through numerous reports and publications, including the  Everyday Evaluation on the Run 1991, a best selling evaluation text (with sales estimated at about 20,000). Furthermore, through her workshops and presentations which provide a mix of thoughtful theoretical underpinnings and social pragmatism, many individuals have developed skills and acquired knowledge in program evaluation.

Congratulations Professor Wadsworth!

This item has been adapted from a citation delivered by Associate Professor Jenny Neale at the AES 2007 awards dinner.

AES 2008 Perth Conference

The 2008 AES conference is to be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Perth, Western Australia from 8-12 September.  If you have always wanted to go to Perth but never got around to it here is a great reason to make the trip!

The theme of the 2008 AES conference is Evaluation: Adding Value. Notions of ‘value' are intrinsic to the evaluation process and the 2008 conference will give participants an opportunity to explore this topic within the following themes:

  • Value for whom?
  • Whose value?
  • Optimising value

In response to feedback from previous conferences, the Conference Committee is planning a program that incorporates a variety of session types and formats to meet the varied needs of new and more experienced evaluators, including:

  • Pre-conference workshops
  • Mini-workshops
  • Symposia on themes within industry areas or related to specific evaluation topics including:
    • Indigenous issues
    • Education
    • Health
    • Community
    • Natural Resource Management
    • Performance
  • Roundtable sessions
  • Paper sessions
  • Poster sessions

More information will be available on these sessions on the website shortly.  In the meantime, mark the date in your calendar and place the website www.aes2008.com.au in your favourites to check for updates!

Gaye Mackenzie – 2008 Conference Convenor

International Relations Committee

The Melbourne conference had a significant international dimension with delegates from 12 different countries attending. A very well attended roundtable session on international evaluation was held at the conference, facilitated by Penny Hawkins and Ross Connor. A good discussion took place which was enhanced by the presence of a number of international delegates who, along with Australians and New Zealanders, shared their knowledge and experience of evaluation in different countries including developing countries. The presentations by international delegates were varied and interesting and increased the diversity of the conference.

At the Board meeting following the conference, this year's International Relations Committee and AES's commitment to ongoing involvement with IOCE (International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation) were confirmed. The IOCE membership is a key part of the liaison between the AES and international evaluation initiatives, networks and organisations through the strengthening of existing relationships with other organisations and the development of new links. Jessica Kenway has joined the IR committee for this year - welcome Jessica!

Penny Hawkins – International Relations Committee (Chair)

International News and Conferences

News of Interest from the American Evaluation Association

“Over the past two years the AEA Ethics Committee worked with a range of evaluators to develop a training package aimed at introducing the Guiding Principles of the AEA in a workshop format and engaging evaluators in discussion about ethical practice. The resulting package, having been reviewed by an expert panel and approved for distribution by the AEA Board of Directors, is available for use for personal instruction or as a starting point for facilitating a workshop on the Guiding Principles.”

Learn more at: http://www.eval.org/GPTraining/GPTrainingOverview.asp

Conferences

UK Evaluation Society 2007 Conference
Date: November 22 –23, 2007

Theme ‘Great Expectations’
Where: Leeds, England.

According to the conference website:

“This year’s UKES Annual Conference takes as its theme the challenges we face in effectively engaging with and meeting the evolving needs of a multiplicity of stakeholders…..The conference streams will explore changing stakeholder needs and expectations from a number of angles, from the core issue of effective engagement in the evaluation process to considering the needs of specific stakeholder groups, emerging priorities of stakeholders such as the sustainable development agenda and the challenge of involving multiple stakeholders.”

Learn more about the conference at: http://www.evaluation.org.uk/

Canadian Evaluation Society 2008 Conference
Date: May 11 –14, 2008

Theme ‘Sharing Heritages’
Where: Quebec, Canada.

According to the conference website:

“The 2008 CES Conference theme, Sharing Heritages, speaks to the principle, if not the fact, that each nation, each region, and each cultural community possesses specific knowledge, know-how, and approaches.”

Learn more about the conference at: http://c2008.evaluationcanada.ca/index.cgi?s=2&ss=1&_lang=en

Publications News

Publications Committee Report

The Publications Committee sponsored an interactive session at the recent Conference of the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES), held in Melbourne.

The session titled Strategies for Disseminating Educational Knowledge, included inputs from Ros Hurworth, Editor of the Evaluation Journal of Australasia (EJA), Brad Shrimpton, Editor of E-news, and an American visitor, Jonny Morell, Editor of Evaluation and Program Planning (EVPP) and myself. EVPP is published by Elsevier and has a high reputation within the evaluation community worldwide for reporting rigorous yet practical studies about intervention designs and their effects.

The session drew on the experiences of the editors, their approaches to journal article review, and on broader issues related to the dissemination of evaluation theory and practice. A recurring theme from the 60 participants was the importance of the AES website in harnessing information for Society members, and the need to make it even more responsive to users. This was timely advice given the fact that the website will undergo change to make it password protected from 2008, when both the EJA and the EVPP will become available to members in electronic format. This is the first time the AES has made an overseas based journal available, and with the EJA also being online from the beginning of next year, represents a new level of service to the membership.

Arising from the conference session and discussions of the Society Board, the AES is investigating ways in which the range of knowledge products can be improved and increased. Some possible new services include; podcasting, allowing members to exchange evaluation reports electronically, and creating blogs on selected topics. The Publications Committee will develop a plan for the progressive implementation of these features in the near future. Members who wish to have an input to this plan could contact me on j,owen@unimelb.edu.au

Dr John Owen - Publications Committee (Chair)

New Evaluation Books

Thinking of catching up on some evaluation reading?

A second edition of ‘Evaluating Programs to Increase Student Achievement’ by Martin Jason has been released. Here is what the publisher (Sage) has to say about this book:
“This reader-friendly resource presents a substantive overview of key concepts of the program evaluation process and offers practical guidelines to help administrators and faculty plan and carry out thoughtful evaluations.” More on this book at: http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book229226

Also out from Sage is the boldly titled ‘Practicing Research – Discovering Evidence That Matters’ by Arlene Fink. Here is what a blurb from the Sage website has to say about this book: “(Practicing Research) … is designed for students, practitioners or researchers who are planning to review research for best practices or are actually selecting programs right now.  To learn more about this book visit Sage at:
http://www.sagepub.com/home.nav

Evaluation Resources on the Net

‘MandE NEWS’
Keep up to date on monitoring and evaluation methods, tools, developments, events, blogs and much more at this great website edited by Rick Davies: http://www.mande.co.uk/

UK Evaluation Society Discussion List
Feel like keeping an eye on what is topical in the UK? Join the UKES email based discussion list – instructions on joining at: http://www.evaluation.org.uk/

Canadian Evaluation Society Discussion Forum
The CES discussion forum is open to everyone and offers the following enticement: “If you have any questions with regard to evaluation projects you are conducting, you can post your questions to a small list of experts and people who may have had the same concerns and can help you. Anything related to evaluation is open for discussion.”

Create your free account at: http://evaluationcanada.ca/ls/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX

Positions Vacant

Local Jobs

Looking for a new job? Visit the http://www.aes.asn.au/ofinterest/ page on the AES website. There are currently several jobs for the offering!

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

Get Involved in Your Regional Branch

To contact your region representative or 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/

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