From the AES President

This feels like a proper looking forward to spring message from me. In New Zealand we have been buffeted by strong winds and drenched time and again so that everything – people included – feel somewhat soggy.

That being said however, AES has provided us many highlights. In additional to regional activities the workshop ‘Introduction to Evaluation’ run by Dr Paul Chesterman is now part way through a very successful tour. As indicated previously, Paul has taken the opportunity to meet with AES members while visiting the various regions to explore the professional learning needs of members as part of his role of chairing the Professional Learning Committee. This has provided him with a wider view from the membership as well as meeting a range of people associated with AES. We look forward to hearing the results from this phase of the consultation.

The Perth Conference is fast approaching and I am sure that many of you are eagerly awaiting the second week in September when everything gets under way. This is an opportunity to critically reflect on your own evaluations or those you have come across - and for all to hear about what is being done by who and for whom. The theme this year, Adding Value, makes it a particularly pertinent exercise as I am sure we have all come across evaluations that fulfil reporting requirements but add little value to people and programs. Lively audience participation is expected from those who have in the past questioned what exactly has been achieved over time - especially what has changed.

The AGM will also bring forward some of the changes signalled by the Governance Review so keep an eye on the website to ensure that you know what is being proposed and any feedback you would like to give is welcomed. Graeme Harvey has been convening a working group looking at this and I am very appreciative of the work they have done.

The only thing left to say is that I look forward to seeing you all in Perth for a stimulating and thought provoking week – and hopefully much better weather!

Associate Professor Jenny Neale - AES President

AES 2008 Perth Conference

It is only a week until the 2008 AES conference in Perth.  In Melbourne I said that the Perth 2008 conference would be the best ever and the organising committee have been working hard towards achieving just that!

We have a full and varied program lined up with different ‘industry’ themes on each day as well as the general sessions that will address the conference theme of ‘Adding Value’.  There is also a combination of session formats including mini workshops, symposia, roundtables and paper sessions which should provide plenty of opportunities for discussion and debate.

Conferences are a wonderful opportunity to meet up with old friends and to make new ones and our very enthusiastic entertainment sub-committee have lined up some great entertainment for the week.  If you are arriving early in the week for workshops we are organising for people to get together for informal drinks on the Monday night.  This will be a chance for you to get to know new people right from the start – look out for the flyer at the venue on where and when this will be happening.

We look forward to welcoming you to Perth in September!
If you have any queries regarding the conference please contact Andrew Bird at Meeting Masters on 08 9380 9804 or enquiry@meetingmasters.com.au . 
Gaye Mackenzie – 2008 Conference Convenor

Professional Learning Committee

Earlier this year, a Professional Learning Committee was established to provide guidance and advice to the AES Board in relation to the Society’s role in professional learning/development in evaluation.  A key focus for the Committee in 2008 is to facilitate a needs assessment process in this area.  The members of the Committee are Paul Chesterton (Chair), Rick Cummings, David Earle, Margaret MacDonald and Rita Perkons.
The Committee is using three main data gathering procedures as a basis for preparing a statement of needs:

• Discussions with local groups as an adjunct to the 2008 AES Introduction to Evaluation workshops that are being conducted around Australia and New Zealand;
• Presentation of a symposium on professional learning in evaluation at the Perth Conference in September, including an extended period of participant discussion and feedback; and
• Focus group discussions in each region, to explore key issues and questions within regional contexts.

In the light of identified needs, the Committee will develop a strategic plan for professional learning for consideration by the Board. The Professional Development Committee warmly welcomes input from members, which can be directed to any member of the Committee (see AES Directory of Members for contact details).
Dr Paul Chesterton - Committee Chair: paulchesterton1@gmail.com

Awards Committee Update

As members will be very much aware the Awards Committee has been extremely active over recent years reviewing and introducing a new suite of awards - and has also commenced a systematic process of succession planning for the appointment and retirement of Awards Committee members. As part of this process two long-serving Committee members, Associate Professor Paul Chesterton and Dr Zita Unger, retired from the Committee in 2008 to be replaced by Professor Brian English and Ms Ellen Vasiliauskas. Thank you Paul and Zita for your valued contribution to the Awards Committee.
Details on the AES Awards can be found at: http://www.aes.asn.au/awards/

Ethical Dilemmas?

Evaluators face ethical issues in all aspects their work, however, experience and guidance is on hand from the AES. The AES Ethics Committee has been operating for 10 years, providing advice to AES members on specific ethical dilemmas, and developing resources such as the AES Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines. These resources have also proved popular for organisations and individuals outside of the AES, and have served as a means of educating stakeholders and people commissioning evaluation on the principles by which AES members perform their work. Visit the website http://www.aes.asn.au/about/  to view these resources.
Alan Woodward - Committee Chair: alan.woodward@lifeline.org.au

Evaluation Around the Globe

International News and Conferences

American Evaluation Society 2008 Conference
Date: November 5 –8, 2008
Theme: Evaluation Policy and Evaluation Practice
Where: Denver, Colorado
According to the AEA President:
“This theme is a critically important one for our profession. AEA has just launched a multi-year Evaluation Policy Task Force to examine how we can be more proactive in influencing the evaluation policies that guide practice. And, the conference in Denver opens one day after national elections in the U.S., a time when key policymakers at all levels of government consider new policy directions. My hope is that our discussions will enhance our understanding of the relationships between evaluation policy and evaluation practice and help improve the policy landscape for more effective evaluation.”
Learn more about the conference at:
http://www.eval.org/eval2008/default.htm
Fourth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Date: July 8 –11, 2009
Where: University of Athens, Greece
According to the conference website:
“The Conference will address interdisciplinary practices across the social sciences, and between the social sciences and the natural sciences, applied sciences and the professions. Main speakers will include some of the world’s leading thinkers in the social sciences, as well as numerous paper, colloquium and workshop presentations. “
Learn more about the conference at:
http://i09.cgpublisher.com/
(Note: July is a beautiful time to visit Greece!)

All the News that’s Fit to Print

Expansion of Resources Available on the AES Website

Be sure to visit the two additional resources now available on the AES website. These are sections on STORIES ABOUT EVAUATION LEARNINGS and EVALUATION REPORTS. The publications committee invites contributions to these sections and your input will be essential to ensure they make an ongoing contribution to the dissemination of evaluation practice and theory in Australasia. Guidelines for submissions are on the respective pages of the web-site:
http://www.aes.asn.au/publications/Stories/
http://www.aes.asn.au/publications/Reports/

FaHCSIA Occasional Paper

The great folk from FaHCSIA have produced a publication they wish to bring to the attention of AES members: Occasional Paper no. 19 – ‘Lessons learnt about strengthening Indigenous families and communities’ by John Scougall. The occasional paper was released in March 2008 and is a report from the evaluation of the Stronger amilies and Communities Strategy 2000–2004.

According to FaHSCIA - “The report discusses what has been learned from the Strategy 2000–2004 about how to strengthen Indigenous families and communities. These lessons have implications for future interventions funded through the Strategy 2004–2009, and through other funding initiatives and programs. The report provides insights into critical factors that explain the success of some projects and some of the frustrations experienced by others.”
Download the paper from FaHCSIA at: http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/research/ops-ops19.htm .

Sites, LISTSERVS and Blogs

Evaluation Resources on the Net
‘Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social Research’
According to the website - “This page lists FREE resources for program evaluation and social research methods.  The focus is on "how-to" do evaluation research and the methods used: surveys, focus groups, sampling, interviews, and other methods. Most of these links are to resources that can be read over the web”
Visit the website at: http://gsociology.icaap.org/methods/
International Aid and Development
According to the website - “(this is a) forum for sharing ideas and practical examples of conducting evaluations of international development projects under less than ideal conditions. In particular, where there was no baseline and no comparison group.”
Visit the website at: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RealWorldEval/
A Beginners Guide to Evaluation
Download this free and handy resource that seeks to answer the question “What is Program Evaluation?”
http://gsociology.icaap.org/methods/evaluationbeginnersguide.pdf

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/

Welcome New Members

Auckland
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Canberra
Jill Brown (insert names here)

New South Wales
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Northern Territory
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Queensland
Jill Brown (insert names here)

South Australia
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Victoria
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Western Australia
Jill Brown (insert names here)

Wellington
Jill Brown (insert names here)

International
Jill Brown (insert names here)

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