Developing Evaluation Capacity Building Competencies

Participant Reflections From the Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge

Authors

  • Amanda Sutter University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
  • Michelle Rondeau University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
  • Karolina Kaminska University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
  • Sandrine Desforges McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
  • Sebastian Betzer Child Care Network, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Melissa Tremblay University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe-2024-0004

Keywords:

capacity building, case-centered teaching, education, evaluation, evaluator competencies

Abstract

In 2023, McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy hosted the inaugural Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge (EC3) competition with a cohort of 19 selected graduate students and early-career professionals studying or working in Canada or the United States. It was a multifaceted learning opportunity for participants to expand evaluation capacity building (ECB) competencies and served as a bridge between formal education and real-world practice. This practice note offers reflections from five students representing all teams and one coach on how EC3 supported competency development as outlined by the Canadian Evaluation Society and the American Evaluation Association. Focused on domains related to professional reflection, technical and methodological skills, situational context, as well as management and interpersonal skills, this article explores the role of EC3 in honing skills specific to ECB, preparing evaluators to excel in their roles and champion ECB in diverse and evolving contexts

References

American Evaluation Association. (2018). AEA evaluator competencies. https://www.eval.org/Portals/0/Docs/AEA%20Evaluator%20Competencies.pdf

Bourgeois, I., Lemire, S. T., Fierro, L. A., Castleman, A. M., & Cho, M. (2023). Laying a solid foundation for the next generation of evaluation capacity building: Findings from an integrative review. American Journal of Evaluation, 44(1), 29–49.

Bourgeois, I., Wildschut, L., & Steinberg, M. (2021). How does teaching with cases support the development of evaluation competencies? New Directions for Evaluation, 2021(172), 37–51.

Canadian Evaluation Society. (2018). Competencies for Canadian evaluation practice. https://evaluationcanada.ca/career/evaluator-competencies.html

Fierro, L. A., & Christie, C. A. (2017). Evaluator and program manager perceptions of evaluation capacity and evaluation practice. American Journal of Evaluation, 38(3), 376–392.

Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Ensminger, D. C., & Roseveare, C. (2021). How do we teach and learn with cases? New Directions for Evaluation, 2021(172), 53–67.

Yarbrough, D. B., Shula, L. M., Hopson, R. K., & Caruthers, F. A. (2010). The program evaluation standards: A guide for evaluators and evaluation users (3rd ed.). Corwin Press. https://evaluationstandards.org/program/

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Published

2024-05-06

How to Cite

Sutter , A., Rondeau, M., Kaminska, K., Desforges, S., Betzer , S., & Tremblay, M. (2024). Developing Evaluation Capacity Building Competencies: Participant Reflections From the Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 38(3), 532–541. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe-2024-0004

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 3 (2024): Special Issue

Section

Research and Practice Notes

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Amanda Sutter , Michelle Rondeau, Karolina Kaminska, Sandrine Desforges, Sebastian Betzer , Melissa Tremblay

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