‍‍AES Alert: 22 July 2026 |
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‍Dear Visitor, With just 54 days until aes26 in Darwin | Garramilla Country, the conference program is available online, featuring 184 speakers, 120 presentations and more than 76 hours of content. Not going to Darwin? You don't have to wait until September to be inspired! One of our keynote speakers, Professor Bagele Chilisa, will present a free online pre-conference seminar on Thursday 6 August, offering everyone the opportunity to engage with one of the world's leading voices in Indigenous evaluation and transformative methodologies. A reminder that AES members receive access to seminar materials and recordings via their member profile. Visit the members-only section to explore highlights from this year’s seminars so far. Stay connected! Make sure you continue receiving the latest news and opportunities, take a moment to check that your member details are up to date. Login and update your details. |
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| ‍aes26 Update - 54 days until aes26 kicks off in Darwin
- New Keynote speaker: Emmanuel Jimenez, Director General, Independent Evaluation Department of the Asian Development Bank
- Meet our exciting keynote speakers.
- Social program is online
- Program is online!
- 184 speakers
- 120 presentations
- 76.5 hours of content (4,590 minutes)Â
- Offers for conference support grants for emerging Indigenous evaluators have gone out.
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‍How does the commissioning of evaluations shape the evaluation process and its outcomes? AES Fellows are exploring how commissioning practices affect evaluation and invite you to contribute by: responding to the AES Blog; completing a survey and participating in commissioning sessions at the aes26 International Evaluation Conference in Darwin. AES members will receive access to the seminar recording in their member profile. You're also welcome to email the AES Fellows directly with your reflections on any of the following questions: - Best and worst commissioning process
- As a commissioner: Do you get the evidence you need from evaluations through the commissioning process?
- As an evaluator: Do commissioning models facilitate or inhibit how well you undertake an evaluation?
- As an evaluation recipient: How do commissioning decisions impact on you and your colleagues and participants?
Your insights will help inform future improvements to evaluation practice. |
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July 2026 August 2026 October 2026 November 2026 November Workshops: MEL Introductory Concepts and Skills Intensive December 2026 | |
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The Of Interest section of the AES Alert includes information from international evaluation societies as well as upcoming events and other articles that may be of interest to our members and wider evaluation community. There is no charge to be included. Please send content to aes@aes.asn.au by Tuesday lunchtime. Your article should include a short blurb and any relevant links. Note that we don't include images or upload documents. Note that the AES reserves the right to refuse publication if we don't judge that your copy is of interest to members of the AES. Member notices are given preference. |
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‍The evaluation toolkit: an introductory workshop series on evaluation Greg Masters of Nexus Management Consulting will deliver this practical, hands-on program comprising four half-day workshops over four consecutive weeks. The program will develop your understanding and skills in program evaluation and includes real-life case studies and opportunities to apply the learning to your work. You will walk away with: - draft logic models
- evaluation plan templates
- a completed case study used across all four workshops.
Who should attend? emerging evaluators people in government and non-government organisations working in evaluation units program and policy managers moving into evaluation commissioners of evaluations.
The next workshop series commences on Wednesday 19 August (10.00 am-1.00pm AEST) and runs at the same time for the following three Wednesdays. The fee for AES members is $1,200 for the workshops, a 20% discount on the standard fee of $1,500.For more information and registration: https://nexusmc.com.au/evaluation-toolkit/ or contact Greg Masters at gmasters@nexusmc.com. |
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‍New international editions of Australian evaluation texts by AES Fellow & Life member, Yoland Wadsworth, have been published by Routledge London. Do It Yourself Social Research and Everyday Evaluation on the Run have both been popular best-selling texts demystifying research and evaluation, and Human Inquiry for Living Systems: Building in Research and Evaluation for Life identifies how to achieve systems change using iterative 'full cycle' evaluative inquiry processes. All three books have never been out of print. Now revised as an anniversary box set trilogy, they provide a comprehensive framework incorporating all the major forms of research and evaluation using a logic in which each takes their part in 'full cycle inquiry’ from existing practice to change for improvement and its testing in new practice. Michael Quinn Patton’s tribute to globally launch the trilogy as a coherent magnum opus is here. More about the books (and a 25% discount for the set) here. |
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‍Tracing Impact: A hands-on introduction to Ripple Effects Mapping
with First Person Consulting Every program triggers changes that can be hard to pre-determine, but we also know that those immediate changes don't stop there. These changes can lead to cascading effects far into the future or effects disproportionate to the initiating event. Ripple Effects Mapping is a participatory, group-based method for bringing them to the surface – well established overseas, but only now making its way into Australian practice. This one-day workshop will leave you with the skills and capabilities to design and implement REM, and have a bunch of fun while you are doing it. The session is in-person only in Melbourne, with two date options: Wednesday 21 October or Thursday 19 November 2026.Â
On sale until 31 July: $295 incl. GST (usually $350). Register here → https://www.fpconsulting.com.au/store/p19/ripple-effects-mapping-training.html |
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Listen: The It Depends Podcast with Matt Healey Looking for a podcast that tackles questions without straightforward answers? Welcome to The It Depends Podcast, hosted by Matt Healey from First Person Consulting. In each episode, Matt and his guests explore the tricky, nuanced world of evaluation, systems thinking and change, design, and complexity. It's your go-to source for thoughtful conversations, practical insights, and comfort in embracing uncertainty.
Browse summaries of every episode in the Podcast Library, or find and follow The It Depends Podcast on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Discover why the best answer to tricky questions often starts with "it depends…". |
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‍Iris Ethics HREC opens for applicationsÂ
Following successful registration with the NHMRC, Iris Ethics has opened its Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for submissions, making it the first privately operated, open access HREC to focus solely on the evaluation, market research, and social research sectors. The committee is chaired by Professor Chris Maylea, an experienced social researcher and legal scholar, and includes people from all over Australia representing a range of lived and professional experiences and includes practicing evaluators. This ensures that reviews are completed quickly with an understanding of the research purpose and methodologies used, and that the committee can act as a trusted advisor and partner. Iris Ethics also delivers rapid reviews for lower risk evaluation projects and produces a growing library of resources to support ethical evaluation practice.
One year in, Iris Ethics expands resources for users In the almost one year since Iris Ethics opened for business, the company has produced more than 50 free resources for researchers and reviewers navigating the often complex field of human research ethical reviews. Now those resources are easier than ever for users to find, with a new menu creating a streamlined user experience (https://www.irisethics.com.au/). |
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Upcoming Clear Horizon Academy Courses
Build confidence and skills in MEL with Clear Horizon Academy. Drawing on 20 years of field experience, our courses help evaluators deepen their practice and expand their toolkit at every levels. AES members receive 15% off with the code "AES15" and coaching can be added to support your work or booked standalone. Systems Transformation: Strategy and Evaluation (24 July, paced over 6 weeks) – Last call
Interested in working with systems change initiatives? This course covers the foundations of systems transformation, frameworks for designing strategy and making sense of emergence, to how to evaluate initiatives across complex, interconnected systems. Learn from tested approaches and real cases; apply advanced frameworks and tools; and refine your approach to learning, evaluating, and adapting in messy, real-world settings.➡ Learn more Most Significant Change (31 July, paced over 5 weeks)Â
Ready to go deeper with stories of change? This course sharpens how you surface unexpected outcomes and communicate impact with nuance, refining your approach to collecting, selecting, and analysing stories using a participatory method. Developed by Jess Dart, co-author of the MSC User Guide, it draws on a globally adopted method for rich qualitative evidence.➡ Learn more Complete Guide to Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) (7 August, paced over 17 weeks)Â
Consolidate your thinking across the full MEL cycle, from theory of change through to measurement, evaluation design and impact communication. Drawing on Clear Horizon's 20+ years of experience, this course helps you refine core MEL principles, sharpen your own MEL plan, and exchange ideas with experienced practitioners along the way, packed with tools and templates you can apply straight away.➡ Learn more ‍ |
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AES Blog
| We want to hear from you! What is interesting you in the world of evaluation? Have you attended an AES event recently and are keen to share what you learned? Please refer to the Guidelines for what and how to submit to the AES blog and if you have any questions, please email the team at blog@aes.asn.au. Check out the the latest AES blogs by clicking here.Â
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Job Vacancies | Employers looking to fill positions in program monitoring and evaluation and performance measurement can list their job vacancies on the AES website. This service is available to members and non-members for a small fee. Discover the benefits of advertising on the AES website as recruiters and for applicants. Local and overseas opportunities are listed throughout the year and are also included in the AES Alert e-newsletter. |
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Consultants Directory | The AES often receives enquiries looking for evaluators with specific areas of expertise. These enquiries are directed to the online searchable Consultants' Directory. As well as being 'discovered' by potential customers, consultants in the directory also enjoy receiving early advice on any call for Evaluation services tenders. AES members can be listed in the Consultants' Directory for a small fee. Log into the AES website and access the form here. |
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Logging On to Member Only areas of the new AES website | Members can now remain logged into the AES website rather than log in each time - simply click on the 'Remember me' box when loggin in. If you have forgotten your username and password, please email us at aes@aes.asn.au. |
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Become an AES member | Do you work as an evaluator, commission evaluation work, manage evaluation projects, are an academic teaching and conducting research, a tertiary level student or even a professional interested in evaluation and performance measurement? Are you interested in developing your knowledge and skills across evaluation theory, methods and practice while networking with other professionals involved in similar work? Then you will benefit from joining the AES. Click here for more information and to apply to join. |
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| ‍We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands in which we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. The Australian Evaluation Society is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. |
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