BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//NCEN - ECPv6.15.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:NCEN X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://ncevaluators.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for NCEN REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20120311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20121104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20130310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20131103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20140309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20141102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20150308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20151101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20160313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20161106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20170312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20171105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20180311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20181104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20190310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20191103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20200308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20201101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260327T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260327T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20260323T210441Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T210441Z UID:2029-1774612800-1774618200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:From Empathy to Exhaustion: Exploring Compassion Fatigue in Program Evaluation DESCRIPTION:Join us to reconnect and learn! \nCompassion fatigue (CF) is the emotional and\nphysical exhaustion that evaluators\nexperience when exposed to trauma.\nBased on interviews with diverse evaluators\,\nDr. Stacy Huff explores how CF manifests in the\nfield through emotional strain\, professional\nisolation\, and systemic challenges. \nThis presentation challenges the field to\nacknowledge the hidden struggle of CF and\nimplications for sustaining human-centered\,\nethical evaluation practices. Attendees will\nleave with an awareness of CF in evaluation\,\npractical strategies for building resilience\, and\ninsights to advocate for systemic changes\nthat prioritize evaluator well-being. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/from-empathy-to-exhaustion-exploring-compassion-fatigue-in-program-evaluation/ LOCATION:Virtual CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240531T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240531T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20240305T214644Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240504T191805Z UID:1160-1717156800-1717162200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Collaborative Planning: A Roadmap to Success DESCRIPTION:Even with the best of intentions\, as researchers\, we often fail to put relevant and actionable evidence in the hands of decision-makers. Research and evaluation are joint efforts between the decision-makers who select and implement initiatives and those studying the progress and outcomes of these efforts. Dr. Colleen Paeplow will share the lessons learned within the Wake County Public School System and the collaborative process they have developed to ensure their work is relevant and aligned with the needs of their district. They have learned that it is only through collaboration with their colleagues across the district that they can conduct meaningful research. During this session\, you will learn about their collaboration map and the collaborative practices they have developed over the years. \nDr. Paeplow has over 20 years of experience as an educational researcher\, 12 years as a university instructor\, and 9 years serving on graduate committees. She currently serves as the Senior Director for Program Accountability within the Wake County Public School System’s (WCPSS) Data\, Research\, and Accountability Department\, where she supervises a team of evaluators and co-authors evaluation and research studies for the district and with university research partners. Dr. Paeplow earned a Ph.D. in educational research and policy analysis from North Carolina State University in 2011\, where she serves as an adjunct professor\, teaching graduate courses on statistical analysis and data-based decision making\, and has served on numerous doctoral committees. She is involved with research collaborations with Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project as a supervisor of an agency fellow and North Carolina Practitioner Network with NC Department of Public Instruction and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Working through universities and directly via her company\, Dissertation Coaching Pros\, Dr. Paeplow serves as a chair\, methodologist on dissertation committees\, and dissertation coach to support graduate students attending a variety of universities to finalize their degrees. She considers it a privilege to collaborate with educators\, researchers\, and other stakeholders and to provide guidance to staff and students as they build their capacity to conduct research. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/collaborative-planning/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20231023T222141Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240223T150539Z UID:979-1708689600-1708695000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:How to Use AI for Program Evaluation DESCRIPTION:Ellen Wilson\, NCEN president\, will give a brief presentation of some of the ways for using AI that may be helpful for evaluators\, and then we will break into groups for members to discuss what they have tried\, what works well and what does not\, and other considerations. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/ai-for-program-eval/ LOCATION:Virtual CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231103T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231103T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20230806T193214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230821T225714Z UID:866-1699012800-1699018200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Assessing Implementation Fidelity DESCRIPTION:Please join Dr. Richard Lambert\, Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Director of the Center for Educational Measurement and Evaluation\, as he presents a method for evaluating the inter-rater reliability of evaluators who assess the performance of teachers. He will present results from a study of 65 evaluators and will outline methods for calibrating the strictness\, leniency\, and bias of raters. These methods can be applied in other contexts where inter-rater reliability is important. \nDr. Lambert has received over $30M in research funding during his career. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator for an award from the NC Department of Public Instruction entitled “Evaluating the Implementation of a Formative Assessment System in North Carolina Kindergarten Classrooms” and an award from the NC Department of Health and Human Services entitled “Coaching\, Mentoring\, Performance Evaluation\, and Professional Development for BK Licensed Teachers in Non-public School Classrooms.” URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/assessing-implementation-fidelity/ LOCATION:Virtual CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230825T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230825T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20230705T214607Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230821T225656Z UID:830-1692964800-1692970200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Bringing an Equity-Centered Framework to Research DESCRIPTION:Please join Nitya Venkateswaran and Jay Feldman\, two researchers in RTI International’s Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE)\, as they discuss their newest publication\, Bringing an equity-centered framework to research: Transforming the researcher\, research content and practice of research. The paper presents an integrative\, holistic framework that synthesizes the approaches of leading experts to present key steps researchers should take to integrate equity principles into their work\, which include: \n\nUnderstanding the importance of acknowledging and reflecting on their own biases\nValuing authentic partnerships with communities most affected by the research they are conducting and examining the power dynamics involved\nConsidering the equity implications of many methodological decisions we make\n\nThey will also discuss how we as researchers can operationalize these concepts in our practice so that we can create knowledge and evidence in service of liberation and social justice. \nAbout the Speakers \nNitya Venkateswaran is a trained evaluator and researcher in the field of education and adult learning. She leverages culturally responsive and equitable evaluation methods to ensure the evaluation process and outcomes are in service of equity. At RTI\, Dr. Venkateswaran is part of the Transformative Research Unit for Equity\, where she leads TRUE’s Equity Training\, developing and implementing professional development for RTI staff to use an equity lens in their research work. With expertise in program evaluation\, qualitative methods\, and multi-site studies\, she has worked with a wide range of local\, federal\, and private foundation clients. Her evaluations focus on dismantling systems to improve post-secondary persistence for students furthest from educational justice. \nJay Feldman specializes in equity-centered transformative research approaches and conducts evaluations across K-16 and community-based organizations. A senior researcher in RTI’s Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE)\, he is committed to research guided by social justice. In his practice\, he prioritizes the experiences and perspectives of community members and practitioners\, focusing on research that will have practical and immediate value toward disrupting inequities and identifying new equitable systems. He works toward the co-development of policies and practices that will improve outcomes and access\, particularly for people of color\, who are often among the most disenfranchised by current systems that perpetuate discrimination. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/bringing-an-equity-centered-framework-to-research/ LOCATION:Virtual CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230512T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230512T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20230315T143308Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231004T195814Z UID:717-1683892800-1683898200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Developing your own data to action strategy DESCRIPTION:As evaluators a big part of our job is facilitating the use of an ever expanding collection of data sources.  A role made even harder by our audiences’ shrinking attention spans.  So how do we get the most for our stakeholders out of the data we collect and analyze?  In this session\, NCEN member and information designer Chris Lysy (freshspectrum.com / diydatadesign.com) will walk through key decision points and considerations you should make as you develop your own data to action strategy. \nSubtopics will include data visualization\, UX data design\, data governance\, reporting strategy\, and cultivating data demand. \nA recording of this session is available to members under the “Member content” tab of the NCEN website. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/virtual-professional-development-event-tbd/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230210T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230210T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20221119T205531Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230210T170309Z UID:681-1676030400-1676035800@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:CCREE Learning Circle with Karyl and Monifa DESCRIPTION:Join us for an interactive discussion on collaborative and culturally responsive equitable evaluation co-facilitated by Karyl Askew and Monifa Beverly\, co-authors of Employing Culturally Responsive Evaluation of Programs Serving Black Communities: Navigating Race\, Accountability\, High-Stakes\, and (In)visibility in Frierson\, Arbuthnot\, Hopson\, & Hood’s Race and Culturally Responsive Inquiry in Education: Improving Research\, Evaluation\, and Assessment. We will begin by acknowledging persons/writings/professional learning that has inspired participants along their journey to live in and up to equitable evaluation practices. We will consider topics that participants are currently “wrestling with” or want to explore (in small groups depending on the number of attendees). Karyl and Monifa\, of course\, won’t be able to answer every question\, but the goal is to contribute to the intention of a learning/learn-along-side journey. \nThis session will not be recorded to support attendees in creating a space where we can be vulnerable. A list of resources will be compiled and shared with participants of the session. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/ccree-learning-circle/ LOCATION:Virtual CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221118T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221118T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20220721T144915Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221205T151011Z UID:518-1668772800-1668778200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Stakeholder engagement (virtual) DESCRIPTION:A panel of NCEN members will be presenting on their experiences with stakeholder engagement. \nA recording of this event is available to members upon login on the member content page. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/professional-development-session-tbd/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220812T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220812T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20220721T144546Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221004T153146Z UID:514-1660305600-1660311000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Demystifying R DESCRIPTION:Virtual. \nR is incredibly powerful software\, but getting started with it can be confusing. In this presentation\, David Keyes will discuss reasons why R is worth the effort it takes to learn. These include fast\, efficient\, and reproducible data analysis\, high-quality data visualization\, and doing everything from data importing to final reporting in a single tool. The presentation will include an overview of what R is\, how it works\, and what it can do for you. \nDavid Keyes is the CEO of R for the Rest of Us. Through online courses and custom trainings\, R for the Rest of Us helps people and organizations learn R\, the most powerful tool for data analysis and visualization (which also happens to be free). \nA recording of this event is available to members upon login on the member content page. \nDavid also offers a free introductory course to R\, here: https://rfortherestofus.com/courses/getting-started/ URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/demystifying-r/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220408T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220408T140000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20220324T004534Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220721T145300Z UID:188-1649419200-1649426400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:For the Culture? Best Practices for Youth Engagement\, Education\, and Evaluation during COVID-19 (Virtual Gathering) DESCRIPTION:Join NCEN for our April 2022 Professional Development Event! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\nFor the Culture? Best Practices for Youth Engagement\, Education\, and Evaluation during COVID-19 \n\n\n\nThis virtual professional development session will be led by Dr. Bahby Banks on Friday April 8 from 12 pm – 1:30 pm EST. The session is for NCEN members only. To join or register\, please email ncevaluatorsnetwork@gmail.com \n\n\n\nDr. Banks serves as the CEO and principal research consultant of Pillar Consulting\, a program evaluation research firm dedicated to helping organizations measure the impact of their initiatives. Pillar Consulting partners with non-profit\, academic\, corporate\, and philanthropic organizations to provide consultation on the development\, implementation\, evaluation and dissemination of their efforts. With 15+ years of equity\, capacity building and social impact expertise\, her clientele has included Harvard University\, Wake Forest University\, NC A&T State University\, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Under her leadership\, Pillar Consulting has spearheaded efforts funded by the National Science Foundation\, DuPont Foundation\, deBeaumont Foundation\, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools\, U.S. Department of Education\, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Learn more about Dr. Banks at the following links: \n\n\n\nPillar: www.pillarconsultingrtp.comNAH: www.notahost.comTHE POWER MOVE with Afropunk: https://planetafropunk.com/ama URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/for-the-culture-best-practices-for-youth-engagement-education-and-evaluation-during-covid-19-virtual-gathering/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220211 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220212 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20220627T174107Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221205T150908Z UID:435-1644537600-1644623999@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Infographics for Evaluators DESCRIPTION:This workshop\, led by Lori Palen of Data Soapbox\, will prepare researchers to develop attractive and informative products to disseminate their findings. Specific topics covered in the work include: \n\nWhat is an infographic?\nInfographic development process\nOptions for infographic content\, including types of visuals and recommendations for text\nSoftware for infographic development\nCore principles of graphic design\n\nThe workshop includes multiple examples of successful infographics and visual elements. It concludes with a live demonstration of creating a basic infographic in PowerPoint in about 8 minutes. \nSlides available to members upon login on the member content page. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/infographics-for-evaluators/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200911T091500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200911T123000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20200723T233707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220721T145300Z UID:186-1599815700-1599827400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Deliberately Enacting Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation: A Guide to Practical Tools & Processes DESCRIPTION:The field of evaluation is being challenged to utilize a process that considers who is being evaluated and who is conducting the evaluation. Within this\, increasing attention has been paid to how race and culture influence evaluation processes. This represents an important step forward in perspective and priority\, yet evaluators often lack concrete mechanisms to ensure feasibility and sustainable integration into their work. This workshop addresses this gap by focusing on frameworks and tools recently developed by MPHI. These enable the deliberate development of an evaluation process that takes race\, culture\, equity\, and community context into consideration. \n\n\n\nDate/Time: September 11\, 9:15 am – 12:30 pm (EST)Location: Virtual Gathering\, register at https://tinyurl.com/RTPE-PD-2020 \n\n\n\nLearning Objectives: As a result of this workshop\, you will… \n\n\n\n\nLearn key elements of a framework that can improve the quality of evaluation in diverse settings\, using a culturally responsive and racial equity lens.\nGain experience applying culturally responsive and racial equity lenses to a specific RFP and project design.\nBrainstorm specific next steps to apply in your evaluation practice.\n\n\n\n\nCost: \n\n\n\nIn recognition of the difficult economic times for many\, we are aiming to keep registration fees particularly low this year. \n\n\n\n\nRTPE Member – $50\nNon-RTPE Member – $60\nStudent – $35\n\n\n\n\nDr. Mindelyn Anderson is the Founder + Principal of Mirror Group LLC\, a consulting firm that leverages partnerships with fellow evaluators\, researchers\, subject matter experts\, and change makers to bring collaborative\, participatory\, utilization-focused evaluation and capacity-building to communities and learning organizations. \n\n\n\nFor 19 years\, Dr. Anderson has researched social inequality and stratification\, race and migration\, education and social mobility. She has conducted evaluations with and provided technical assistance and training to community-based\, regional\, national and international non-profit\, for-profit\, and educational organizations. Her utilization-focused participatory evaluation practice is informed by Culturally-Responsive and Racial Equity Evaluation and values diversity\, equity\, and inclusion as integral components of high-quality evaluation. \n\n\n\nAn alumna of the inaugural cohort of Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) Fellowship at the Annie E. Casey Foundation\, her previous higher education appointments include Program Director of the Masters of Science in Measurement and Evaluation at American University\, Honors Faculty-in-Residence and Assistant Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northeastern University\, and Marilyn Yarbrough Fellow at Kenyon College. Her scholarship has been supported by sponsors including the National Science Foundation\, National Endowment for the Humanities\, and National Institutes of Health. Dr. Anderson has also held fellowships at American Institutes for Research and Mathematica Policy Research. \n\n\n\n  URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/deliberately-enacting-culturally-responsive-and-equitable-evaluation-a-guide-to-practical-tools-processes/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200529T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200529T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20200527T001401Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220721T145300Z UID:185-1590751800-1590757200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Independent Consultants & Small Businesses DESCRIPTION:Given the current times and the delay of our intended May Professional Development session due to COVID-19\, we wanted to offer additional mechanisms for discussion and information-sharing among members. \n\n\n\nWe know that many RTPE members are independent consultant (ICs) or small businesses\, and the current economic climate has its own specific implications for those working in these structures. So\, we will be hosting an online forum addressing challenges and supports for these entities. See details below. A calendar invitation with this information was recently sent out via email. \n\n\n\nDate/Time: May 29\, 11:30am-1pmLocation: via Zoom at https://duke.zoom.us/j/3778698483Focus: We will discuss challenges and supports for independent contractors and small business in the current climate. This will include focus on the following questions: \n\n\n\n\nWhat is challenging as an IC/small business at the moment?\nWhat questions do you have?\nWhat resources have been helpful? What others support would be helpful?\nResources: We have started a GoogleDoc as a repository for resources. Please add to this as relevant! We will also be adding to this based on input provided during this session: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13tQk6yM28PRPcdb6oseqI9tPL6DP0H92wCG9uXjSjro/edit\n\n\n\n\nEven if you are not currently an IC or small business\, please feel free to join. Information discussed may be useful to you at another time\, and you may have contacts or information useful to our IC/small business colleagues. \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\nAlso\, if you have additional topics/issues you would like addressed in future sessions\, feel free to let us know! We are looking to continue online discussion forums\, and input on topics desired would help us be sure they are useful. \n\n\n\nBest\,RTPE Board URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/independent-consultants-small-businesses/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190215T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190215T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20190116T070631Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220721T145300Z UID:184-1550228400-1550232000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Inclusive Practices in Evaluation Speed Consulting DESCRIPTION:Where: RTP Frontier\, “Classroom” room. (800 Park Offices Dr\, Research Triangle Park\, NC 27709)\nWhen: 2/15\, 11am-1pm (meeting from about 11-12:15\, 12:15pm on for lunch and networking/socializing)\nFocus & process: We will be using a speed consulting process to discuss inclusive approaches to evaluation & stakeholder engagement approaches. This will include a focus on participatory\, collaborative\, empowerment\, and developmental evaluation; we will address what these are\, how to determine which is appropriate and feasible\, and how they can be utilized effectively. The meeting will start with an overview of all approaches to provide a shared understanding. We will then have one member describes an evaluation they are working on. Through the speed consulting process\, groups will address how a specific approach could be applied (or challenges that might be faced) in that context/situation.\n\n\n*Opportunity to focus on your work!* This speed consulting process allows us to address a member’s specific evaluation project. If you feel that this collective thought would be useful for a current project of yours\, please respond to this email.  We would love to highlight your project\, and hope envision that the group’s input would benefit you. \n  \nLunch will be provided. We will be sending a reminder closer to the meeting; that will include an RSVP\, so we can get a lunch count.  URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/rtpe-meeting-friday-february-15-inclusive-practices-in-evaluation-speed-consulting/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181116T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181116T133000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20181113T015456Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220721T145301Z UID:183-1542367800-1542375000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Applying Equity Perspectives in Practice (Part 3\, Invited Panel) DESCRIPTION:RTPE Meeting: Friday\, Nov. 16\, 11:30am-1:30pm \n\n\n\n\nApplying Equity Perspectives in Practice: Integrating Perspectives from our Non-Profit Community \nAs part of this year’s equity focus\, we had considered the value of also addressing equity perspectives/challenges from a program lens. Delving more deeply into our partners’/clients’ perspectives and challenges can allow us to understand our own equity focus within their contexts. For this meeting\, we will have guest speakers/panelists from the non-profit/program sector. Currently\, our special guests are planned to include: Sarah Mann Willcox from the NC Network of Grantmakers\, Michael Robinson with NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad\, and Zitty Nxumalo of Deftable. Through facilitated discussion\, we will explore the challenges they have in their own work in applying and enacting an equity lens\, and we will consider how this impacts our work as evaluation partners. \n \nWhere:\nSouthwest Library\, Durham Public Library\, Full Room \n(3605 Shannon Rd.\, Durham NC\, 27707; map here) \n*Note the new location for this meeting! Our Frontier space was booked\, and we thought this a fortuitous occasion to try out some other community location options. This space is about 10 minutes farther for Raleigh folks and a bit closer for Chapel Hill/Greensboro folks). \n\nMeeting Agenda:\n\n11:30 am – 12pm. Announcements and Introduction\, with lunch provided. Greet attendees\, receive member updates\, share professional development resources\, and assemble your lunch. Lunch will be provided.\n12pm – 1pm. Panel/facilitated dialogue with program/non-profit guest speakers. Our special guests are planned to include: Sarah Mann Willcox from the NC Network of Grantmakers\, Michael Robinson with NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad\, and Zitty Nxumalo of Deftable.\n1 pm – 1:30 pm. Continued Discussion and Networking. For those who can stay\, we can continue our discussion or provide time for you to engage your colleagues on other topics. This hour will be flexible depending on the needs and interests of those who can stay.\n\nNotices:\nRSVP to Valerie Ehrlich (RTPE Secretary) at evaluatorsrtp@gmail.com required for this meeting. We will be providing lunch and so need an accurate headcount. You must respond by November 12. \nUpcoming Meetings:\n• February 15\, quarterly meeting \n• May\, professional development (date TBD) URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/applying-equity-perspectives-in-practice-part-3-invited-panel/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180817T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180817T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20180807T215812Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T183909Z UID:182-1534503600-1534505400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Applying Equity Perspectives in Practice: Community Reflections (Part 2) DESCRIPTION:RTPE Meeting Friday\, August 17 – Applying Equity Perspectives in Practice: Community Reflections (Part 2) \n\n\n\nWhere: \nThe Fusion room at the Frontier\, RTP\n(800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703\, http://www.rtp.org/about-us/the-frontier/about-us/)\n\n\nMeeting Agenda:\n\n11:00 am – 11:20 am Announcements and Introduction\, with lunch provided. Greet attendees\, receive member updates\, share professional development resources\, and assemble your lunch. Lunch will be provided.\n11:20 am – 12:00 pm – Equity Perspectives in Practice. The theme for our 2018 RTP Evaluator meetings and professional development is Evaluation and Equity: From Perspective to Practice. This meeting will provide time for us to debrief\, share\, and apply our takeaways from our May professional development lead by Dr. Hazel Symonette\, entitled “The Evaluator as Responsive Instrument: Using the Integral Self-In-Context Model as a Resource for Equity-Minded Evaluation.”\nWe will open the conversation by inviting May attendees to share key takeaways or strategies they have tried. Following we will assemble into small groups based on interest. Groups will be organized around “burning questions” that surfaced during the May workshop. (Click here to access a May PD resource bank.) If you were not able to join us in May\, this is a great opportunity to plug into the conversation.\n12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Continued Discussion and Networking. For those who can stay\, we can continue our discussion or provide time for you to engage your colleagues on other topics. This hour will be flexible depending on the needs and interests of those who can stay.\n\n\n\nNotices:\nRSVP to Valerie Ehrlich (RTPE Secretary) at evaluatorsrtp@gmail.com required for this meeting. We will be providing lunch and so need an accurate headcount. You must respond by August 13.\nIf you haven’t paid dues for 2018\, board members will be available to accept membership forms\, information updates\, and dues.\n\n\nUpcoming Meetings:\n• November 16\, quarterly meeting\n• February 15\, quarterly meeting\n• May\, professional development (date TBD) URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/applying-equity-perspectives-in-practice-community-reflections-part-2/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180216T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180216T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20180123T170036Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T183945Z UID:181-1518778800-1518780600@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Applying Equity Perspectives in Practice: Community Reflections and Needs Assessment DESCRIPTION:Where: Solterra Co-housing Community Gathering Place – The Common House \n(Solterra Way\, Durham\, NC 27705\, http://www.solterra.net/\, click here for directions to Solterra. See below for directions to the Common House.) \nMeeting Agenda: \n11:00 am – 11:10 am Announcements and Introduction\, with lunch provided. Greet attendees\, receive and share professional updates\, and assemble your lunch. Lunch will be provided. \n11:10 am – 12:00 pm – Equity Perspectives in Practice. The theme for our 2018 RTP Evaluator meetings and professional development is Evaluation and Equity: From Perspective to Practice. This meeting will provide time for us to dive into the topic\, get to know each other better\, learn from each other’s experiences\, and identify needs that RTP Evaluators can address in upcoming meetings. We will open the conversation by briefly reviewing a list of best practices drawn from the culturally responsive evaluation literature (click here to view and add to a resource bank). Following we will assemble into groups to discuss case studies (click here to view a sample discussion starter) or a challenge from our own practice. Our collective reflections and identified needs\, reported out at the end\, will inform the focus of our May professional development. \n12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Continued Discussion and Networking. For those who can stay\, we can continue our discussion or provide time for you to engage your colleagues on other topics. This hour will be flexible depending on the needs and interests of those who can stay. \nDirection to the Solterra Common House: \n1) When you turn into Solterra please stop at the stop sign and then turn right. \n2) Follow Solterra Way until it dead ends at the Common House parking lot. \n3) Please feel free to park in the spaces there – there are also a few spaces on the right midway between the entrance and the parking lot. \n4) If there are no spaces at the parking lot or midway\, please reverse direction and follow Solterra Way past the entrance (it will be on your left now) all the way around to the back. You may park along Solterra Way on one side of the road. \nDO NOT PARK ON ANY GRASS \nNotices: \nRSVP to Valerie Ehrlich (RTPE Secretary) at evaluatorsrtp@gmail.com required for this meeting. We will be providing lunch and so need an accurate headcount. You must respond by February 9. \nIf you haven’t paid dues for 2018\, board members will be available to accept membership forms\, information updates\, and dues. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/applying-equity-perspectives-in-practice-community-reflections-and-needs-assessment/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170818T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170818T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20170808T185035Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184045Z UID:180-1503054000-1503057600@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Professional Development with Chris Lysy DESCRIPTION:Want to improve your report design? Or get outside of your comfort zone and build some kind of new-fangled\, social media friendly\, engaging\, visual\, or interactive report? But you don’t have a lot of time or money to make this happen. \nJoin us for our quarterly meeting as Chris Lysy walks us through a set of creative shortcuts and simple web-based tools you can use to bring improve your reporting without the need to invest a lot more time or money. Expect to learn some new tricks and bring questions along with your everyday creative challenges. \nLunch will be provided and we will have extra time for you to ask questions of and network with Chris and the group. \nChris is a member of RTPE\, and an evaluator turned fractional creative officer and cartoonist at freshspectrum.com. You can also find his data design workshop at diydatadesign.com \nWhen: Friday\, August 18\, 2017 at 11am \nWhere: The Fusion room at the Frontier\, RTP \n(800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703\, http://www.rtp.org/about-us/the-frontier/about-us/) \nMeeting Agenda:\n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction\, with lunch provided. This meeting has been designed to provide plenty of time for us to network with and learn alongside one another. Salads\, sandwiches and drinks will be provided for lunch so that we can nibble along the way. \n11:10am – 12:00pm Chris Lysy!! \n12:00pm – ?? Discussion and Networking. For those who can stay for the extra time\, we will open the discussion to the group. Have questions or challenges related to data\, reporting\, and the like? Bring them to ask of your peers! This time may or may not be moderated\, depending on the needs and interests of those who are able to stay. \nNotices:\nRSVP to Nina Sperber (RTPE Secretary) at evaluatorsrtp@gmail.com required for this meeting. We will be providing lunch and so need an accurate head count. \nYou must respond by August 14. \nWe hope to see you then! \nNext quarterly meeting\n• November 17\, quarterly meeting URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/professional-development-with-chris-lysy/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170614T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170614T140000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20170206T192252Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184134Z UID:179-1497430800-1497448800@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Strategies that can be used to facilitate intentional group learning\, and led by Hallie Preskill DESCRIPTION:RTPE is thrilled to announce that our June May workshop will focus on strategies that can be used to facilitate intentional group learning\, and led by Hallie Preskill. In this hands-on session we will experience and learn how to use strategies such as data placemats\, chalk talks\, and gradients of agreement from FSG‘s new guide. In recent years\, RTPE has focused on evaluation capacity building\, stakeholder engagement\, and data visualization. This session will be designed to build on these topics by providing hands-on training with activities you can use with your clients and colleagues. \nAs most of you probably know\, Hallie is a former President of AEA. She has published multiple books on evaluation\, and is one of the field’s leading contributors on evaluation capacity building and appreciative inquiry. Hallie is currently a managing director with FSG\, where she oversees the firm’s Strategic Learning and Evaluation practice efforts. What some of you may not know is that Hallie moved to the RTP area within the last year\, and she just joined RTPE! Whether you have the chance to meet her at the workshop in June May\, or some other time soon\, we hope you will help welcome Hallie to North Carolina! \nThis year’s session will be on June 14 May 24 at Duke’s Bullpen entrepreneurial space in Durham. The workshop will run from 9am-2pm (lunch will be provided). Seating is limited to 45 attendees. As always\, members will have priority seating. Registration will open March 1\, and so please mark your calendars and stay tuned! \nHope to see you all at this month’s meeting. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/please-note-date-change-save-the-date-hallie-preskill-is-coming-to-rtpe-on-june-14/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170217T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170217T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20170118T004612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184205Z UID:178-1487329200-1487332800@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Data Visualization Show & Tell DESCRIPTION:You shared your feedback and we listened! In our most recent meetings and in the annual needs assessment survey\, members shared an interest in learning from each other in more interactive ways AND in having more time to network. As the result\, we are trying something new for our next RTPE meeting and we hope you can join us. \nThe Research Triangle Park Evaluators’ (RTPE) next meeting will be held on Friday\, February 17\, 2017 at The Frontier (800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703) beginning at 11 am. \nMeeting Agenda: \n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction\, with lunch provided. This meeting has been designed to provide plenty of time for us to network with and learn alongside one another. Salads\, sandwiches and drinks will be provided for lunch so that we can nibble along the way. \n11:10am – 12:00pm Data Visualization Show & Tell. We have focused our annual professional development meeting on the topic of data visualization for the past two years\, but members still want more. We think it is time to learn from each other. If you are like us\, you have had some successes with data viz in the past couple of years and there are still things you are figuring out. For this Show & Tell\, members will share an example from their work with the group (see more details below) \n12:00pm – 1:00pm Data Visualization Discussion and Networking. For those who can stay for the extra time\, we will continue our discussion about the trials and tribulations of data visualization. This time may or may not be moderated\, depending on the needs and interests of those who are able to stay. This time might be used to learn a new trick from the Show & Tell that you want to learn more about. It would also be an ideal time to ask your colleagues for help and suggestions if you have a challenge that you haven’t been able to figure out. \nAbout the Presentation: Bring one (or more!) artifact(s) from your own practice to share with the group: no preparation necessary. We are particularly interested in examples of data viz that your clients have loved AND examples of things that did not go as well as you thought they would. Please come with your artifact in hand\, as well as a quick story about it that you can share with the group as part of an informal discussion. We will get to know each other better and learn from each other’s experiences. If you do not have anything to share\, please come anyway to participate in the discussion. \nNotices: \nRSVP to Nina Sperber (RTPE Secretary) at evaluatorsrtp@gmail.com required for this meeting. We will be providing lunch and so need an accurate head count. You must respond by February 10. \nIf you haven’t paid dues for 2017\, please be prepared to fill out a membership form and provide payment at the meeting. \nMeetings:\n• May Professional Development (date TBD)\n• August 18\, quarterly meeting\n• November 17\, quarterly meeting URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/data-visualization-show-tell/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20161118T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20161118T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20161117T015224Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184233Z UID:177-1479466800-1479470400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Presentation by Dr. Phillip W. Graham\, RTI on Engaging Community Stakeholders in Large-scale\, Rigorous Program Evaluations DESCRIPTION:The Research Triangle Park Evaluators’ (RTPE) next meeting will be held on Friday\, November 18\, 2016 at The Frontier (800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703\, http://www.rtp.org/about-us/the-frontier/about-us/) beginning at 11 am. \nWe will be a large group this month\, as we will have 20 students joining us from Greg Cizek’s Program Evaluation class at UNC. We will meet in the classroom this month to make sure that we have room for all attendees. \nMeeting Agenda:\n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction\n11:10am – 12:00pm Presentation (with 15-minutes reserved for a Q&A)\n12:00pm – 1:00pm Optional networking lunch (Dr. Graham will join us until 12:30 PM; light refreshments provided; we invite you to participants to bring their lunch or purchase from the Food Truck Rodeo) \nAbout the presentation: Dr. Philip Graham will join us to share success and challenges that come with engaging community stakeholders in large-scale\, rigorous program evaluations. He will use examples from a national cross-site evaluation for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s Partnerships for Success (PFS) program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA). PFS addresses underage drinking\, prescription drug misuse\, and other substance abuse prevention across 600 communities in 47 states\, eight territories/jurisdictions\, 13 tribal organizations\, and the District of Columbia. Dr. Graham will highlight how Qualitative Cross-site Analysis (QCA) is applied to identify promising patterns in service delivery and how he uses a variety of dissemination strategies through the evaluation cycle to promote stakeholder engagement and evaluation use. \nAbout the Presenter: Phillip W. Graham is Director of RTI’s Drugs\, Violence\, and Delinquency Prevention Research Program within the Center for Justice\, Safety\, and Resilience. He has more than 20 years of experience conducting community-based research and evaluation\, with researching focusing on evaluating preventive interventions developed to reduce and prevent adolescent interpersonal violence and substance use. Dr. Graham currently serves as the project director on several national cross-site evaluations assessing community efforts to reduce underage drinking\, prescription drug misuse and abuse\, marijuana use\, and opioid deaths. His methodological focus includes the use of mixed-methods approaches\, and his research emphasizes the importance of culture\, community context\, systems change\, and place-based strategies. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/presentation-by-dr-phillip-w-graham-rti-on-engaging-community-stakeholders-in-large-scale-rigorous-program-evaluations/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160819T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160819T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20160805T235221Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184256Z UID:175-1471600800-1471608000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Panel\, Engaging Stakeholders and Promoting Evaluation Use DESCRIPTION:Meeting Agenda:\n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction\n11:10am – 12:00pm Panel\, “Engaging Stakeholders and Promoting Evaluation Use”\n12:00pm – 1:00pm Optional networking lunch (snacks and drinks provided; bring your lunch or purchase from the Food Truck Rodeo) \nAbout the Presentation: Come learn from a panel of your peers (and their stakeholders!) during a moderated discussion led by Nina Sperber\, RTPE Secretary. \nPanelists will be asked to describe methods used to engage stakeholders and promote evaluation use with a focus on methods that have been particularly meaningful and useful to their work over the years. \nWe have a wide range of evaluation sectors represented on the panel. Together with you\, the audience\, we hope to span the entire life cycle of evaluation work\, from evaluation design through reporting. \nAbout the Presenters:\nChristie Drew is Chief of the Program Analysis Branch at NIEHS. She oversees evaluation efforts relating to biomedical research grant programs. She will discuss general strategies used by her branch to involve both internal and external stakeholders in every aspect of the evaluation design\, implementation and reporting process. \nJan Riggsbee\, is a senior faculty member in Duke’s Program in Education and director of Duke’s TeachHouse\, a new living/learning community to support and develop early career K-12 educators. Jessica Sperling oversees evaluation at Duke’s Education and Human Development Incubator/Social Science Research Institute\, which includes the evaluation of TeachHouse. Together\, Jessica and Jan will discuss the role evaluation has played – and is playing – in shaping the TeachHouse’s development and future direction. \nSally Swanson\, Chief Program Officer for SHIFT NC\, will discuss how she leveraged the evaluation of an adolescent reproductive health demonstration project to both improve services delivered through the demonstration and to inform the development of the next round of initiatives. Joy Sotolongo\, Director of Evaluation for SHIFT NC\, will engage in a dialogue with Sally to highlight how she participated in the evaluation in her role as the project director. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/panel-engaging-stakeholders-and-promoting-evaluation-use/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160517T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160517T100000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20160602T001214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184320Z UID:176-1463443200-1463479200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Reporting To Be Remembered Workshop With Stephanie Evergreen DESCRIPTION:Designing research and evaluation dissemination is about more than making things look pretty. Ultimately\, we report and present our information to teach our audience\, to get our content firmly planted in their knowledge base\, to help them act and make decisions.\nIn this workshop\, participants learned the science behind presenting data effectively with direct\, pointed changes that can be immediately administered to significantly increase impact. We discussed best practices for making visual sense of data and reports. The workshop introduced techniques for thinking about text\, colors\, and graphics in ways that make your work a true joy for your readers\, and so it gets remembered \nDr. Stephanie Evergreen holds a PhD from Western Michigan University in interdisciplinary evaluation\, which included a dissertation on the extent of graphic design in evaluation reporting. Dr. Evergreen has trained audiences worldwide through keynote presentations and workshops\, for clients including Verizon\, United Nations\, Rockefeller Foundation\, Brookings Institute\, Westat\, and MasterCard Foundation. Dr. Evergreen founded the topical interest group on data visualization within the American Evaluation Association. She is co-editor and co-author of two issues of New Directions for Evaluation on data visualization. She writes a popular blog on data presentation at StephanieEvergreen.com. Her book\, Presenting Data Effectively\, was published by Sage in Fall 2013 and was #1 in Social Science Research on Amazon for several weeks in both the US and the UK. Her second book will be published in May 2016. \n  URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/reporting-to-be-remembered-workshop-with-stephanie-evergreen/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20160219T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20160219T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20160123T015645Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184339Z UID:174-1455879600-1455883200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Engaging non-traditional stakeholders in an evaluation of a community-based teen pregnancy prevention program with Joy Sotolongo DESCRIPTION:The Research Triangle Park Evaluators’ (RTPE) next meeting will be held on Friday\, February 19\, 2016 at The Frontier (800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703) beginning at 11 am. \nMeeting Agenda:\n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction \n11:10am – 12:00pm Engaging non-traditional stakeholders in an evaluation of a community-based teen pregnancy prevention program \n12:00pm – 1:00pm Optional networking lunch (snacks and drinks provided; bring your lunch or purchase from the Food Truck Rodeo) \nAbout the Presentation: Engaging non-traditional stakeholders in an evaluation of a community-based teen pregnancy prevention program\nThis presentation will describe contributions from an array of multi-disciplinary partners for an evaluation of the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative demonstration project in Gaston County\, North Carolina. In addition to the usual suspects (health care staff)\, unusual suspects (advertising professionals\, county planners\, faith-based stakeholders) and teens themselves conducted evaluation activities. The presentation will describe the role of each contributor\, the type of data they bring to the table\, and how their multiple perspectives provide a more complete and interesting picture of the project’s experiences with increasing teen access to health services. Examples of data from the multi-disciplinary perspectives will include social marketing web analytics; detailed census tract maps; pre/post survey results; and depiction of teen experiences in their own voices. The presentation also will include examples of how stakeholders used data in their respective roles as project implementers. \nAbout the Presenter: Joy Sotolongo\nJoy Sotolongo is Director of Evaluation for SHIFT NC\, a statewide non-profit leading North Carolina to improve adolescent and young adult sexual health. She is currently leading the evaluation for three federally funded and one privately funded teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. She has 20 years’ experience evaluating community-based prevention programs for adolescents and children in the fields of health\, education\, and workforce preparation. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/engaging-non-traditional-stakeholders-in-an-evaluation-of-a-community-based-teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-with-joy-sotolongo/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20151120T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20151120T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20151120T053545Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184413Z UID:173-1448017200-1448024400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Evaluation Capacity Building with Ben Silliman DESCRIPTION:The Research Triangle Park Evaluators’ (RTPE) next meeting will be held on Friday\, November 20\, 2015 at The Frontier (800 Park Offices Drive\, Durham\, NC 27703) beginning at 11 am. Meeting Agenda: \n11:00am – 11:10am         Announcements and Introduction\n11:10am – 12:00pm        Evaluation Capacity Building: Lessons Learned\n12:00pm – 1:00pm          Optional networking lunch (snacks and drinks provided; bring your lunch or purchase from the Food Truck Rodeo) \nAbout the Presentation: Evaluation Capacity Building: Lessons Learned \nThis year’s theme for RTPE has been Evaluation Capacity Building. In the final meeting of the season\, Ben will share experiences with and study results from two recent evaluation capacity building projects. In 2009\, Ben helped found the eXtension (online Cooperative Extension network) Evaluation Community of Practice. In 2014 he led an eXtension qualitative study with 40 community-based Extension staff identified by peers as evaluation champions. Ben will share the themes from this work and focus on how to apply the lessons learned through these kinds of projects to other evaluation efforts. \nAbout the Presenter: Ben Silliman \nBen Silliman\, Professor and Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University\, is another evaluator ‘kidnapped’ from another field. He received his PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Kansas State University\, and taught for six years at Louisiana Tech University before beginning his career with Extension at the University of Wyoming. He continued work in youth development with 4-H at NC State in 2001. In the process of helping 4-H agents plan and evaluate programs in youth development statewide and nationally\, he began evaluating\, then building evaluation capacity. \nNotices: \nIf you haven’t paid dues for 2015\, please be prepared to fill out a membership form and provide payment at the meeting. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/evaluation-capacity-building-with-ben-silliman/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150821T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150821T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20151120T053011Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184431Z UID:172-1440154800-1440162000@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Collaborative Evaluation with Rita O'Sullivan DESCRIPTION:About the Presentation: Collaborative Evaluation\nDr. Rita O’Sullivan will introduce collaborative evaluation as an approach in the context of other evaluation options and then contrast it with other stakeholder-based approaches (i.e.\, Empowerment\, Participatory\, and Utilization-Focused).  She will share specific collaborative evaluation strategies and then using an example show how collaborative evaluation can promote capacity building. \nRita will engage participants in a discussion of the merits and disadvantages of collaborative evaluation. Her presentation will last approximately 25 minutes followed by engaged discussion and Q&A with the audience. \nAbout the Presenter: Dr. Rita O’Sullivan\nDr. Rita O’Sullivan is Associate Professor of Evaluation and Assessment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she teaches graduate courses in Educational Program Evaluation\, Case Study Methods\, Research Design\, Measurement\, and Statistics.  She also is Director of Evaluation\, Assessment\, and Policy Connections (EvAP)\, a unit she founded within the UNC School of Education that conducts local\, state\, national\, and international evaluations.  Dr. O’Sullivan specializes in developing collaborative evaluation techniques that enhance evaluation capacity and utilization among educators and public service providers.  She has successfully used collaborative evaluation approaches with museum\, education\, community development\, and family support programs in North Carolina\, non-profit organizations in the southeastern states\, as well as national program initiatives in education and community development.  She authored Practicing Evaluation:  A Collaborative Approach (Sage\, 2004) and is senior author of Programs for At-Risk Student: A Guide to Evaluation (Corwin Press\, 1993). Dr. O’Sullivan has traveled to Kazakhstan\, Russia\, Brazil\, Guinea\, Southern Sudan\, Uganda\, Barbados\, Puerto Rico\, Thailand\, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to make presentations and conduct evaluation trainings.  In addition to her scholarly contributions to the field of evaluation via articles and presentations\, Dr. O’Sullivan served as Director of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program (2010-12) and AEA Secretary/Treasurer from 1992-1997. In 2001 she was presented the first lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Association for Research in Education\, and in 2002 received the Ingle Service award from the American Evaluation Association. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/collaborative-evaluation-with-rita-osullivan/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150511T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150511T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20151120T052621Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184458Z UID:171-1431342000-1431349200@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Ann Emery Workshop on Data Visualization DESCRIPTION:For a quick tour of everything that Ann has to offer\, visit this page of her web site: http://annkemery.com/visualization/ URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/ann-emery-workshop-on-data-visualization/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150212T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150212T113000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20151120T052156Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184625Z UID:170-1423735200-1423740600@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Evaluation Capacity Building with Sally Bond DESCRIPTION:About the Presentation: Evaluation Capacity Building: An Overview and Discussion of Strategies\nSally L. Bond\, President of The Program Evaluation Group\, LLC\, will provide an overview of what is meant by “evaluation capacity building\,” review recent developments in the evaluation literature\, and lead a discussion of members’ opportunities to build the capacity of their clients to conduct or use evaluation. \nAbout the Presenter: Sally L. Bond\nSally L. Bond is an independent consultant with more than 25 years of experience in program evaluation.  Her company\, The Program Evaluation Group\, is a network of consultants that specializes in the evaluation of education and other social programs.  Beginning with the publication of Taking Stock: A Practical Guide to Evaluation Your Own Programs in 1997 (available at http://www.horizon-research.com/publications/stock.pdf)\, she has provided evaluation capacity building (ECB) services to a variety of clients\, primarily in educational institutions and other non-profit\, community-based organizations. \nSally earned a Master’s in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1998 and is currently working on a doctorate in Workforce and Human Resource Education at NC State University.  For her dissertation research\, she is especially interested in studying the transfer of training from ECB activities to clients’ work contexts. \nIn addition to being the founding president of RTP Evaluators\, Sally is also Program Co-Chair of AEA’s Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building Topical Interest Group (TIG) and Program Chair of the Theories of Evaluation TIG. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/evaluation-capacity-building-with-sally-bond/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131115T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131115T130000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20131107T191038Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184513Z UID:169-1384513200-1384520400@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Data Visualization: New Directions\, Implications\, and Infographics DESCRIPTION:Mark your calendars! \nThe next meeting will be held on Friday\, November 15\, 2013 at the RTP Marriott  beginning at 11 am. \nAnd at this meeting\, there are not one\, not two\, but three presentations!  Each one addressing the very popular topic of data visualization and its implications for evaluation. \nMeeting Agenda\n\n11:00am – 11:10am Announcements and Introduction\n11:10am – 12:15pm Data Visualization: New Directions\, Implications\, and Infographics\n12:15pm – 1:00pm Optional networking lunch at Newton’s Restaurant located in the hotel\n\nAmy A. Germuth\, Ph.D. on the Implications of Data Visualization History for Evaluation\nAmy A. Germuth is the founder and president of EvalWorks\, LLC which designs\, manages\, and conducts formative and summative evaluations PreK-16 education initiatives at the local\, state\, and national levels. Much of her work involves evaluating science\, technology\, engineering\, and math (STEM) initiatives funded by the US Education Department and National Science Foundation. Other current and past clients include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation\, Pew Charitable Trust\, New York State Education Department\, Chicago Public Schools\, and multiple colleges\, universities\, and school systems. \nAs a committed member of the American Evaluation Association\, Amy is the outgoing chair of the Data Visualization and Reporting TIG and former chair of the Independent Consulting TIG. \nAmy will be presenting her New Directions for Evaluation chapter about the history of data visualization and its impact on and implications for evaluation\, including what is data visualization and what should data visualizations do / can’t they do. \n \nChris Lysy on Interactivity and Approachable Data\nChris Lysy has 10 years of experience in research and evaluation working in for-profit and non-profit settings; he currently holds a position as an analyst for Westat. Chris is committed to helping evaluators effectively use the web. \nHis professional interests in social media and data visualization have lead to the creation of several blogs including freshspectrum.com\, evalcentral.com\, and rtpeval.org. In the upcoming year he plans to take his experience and apply it directly to practical challenges faced by evaluators. \nChris will be discussing his New Directions for Evaluation chapter: Developments in Quantitative Data Display and Their Implications for Evaluation. Specifically\, he will focus on new opportunities provided by the web that allow evaluators to analyze and present large and sometimes complex datasets in an approachable manner. \n \nFelix Blumhardt\, Ph.D. on Creating a “Sustainable” Infographic\nFelix Blumhardt it the Regional Manager of the Carolinas for The Evaluation Group\, a small southeastern evaluation company with offices in Columbia\, SC and Atlanta\, GA. The Evaluation Group conducts utilization-focused evaluations that are participatory in nature for large and small education and human service grants. \nPrior to working with The Evaluation Group\, Felix conducted research and evaluation for The Center for Training\, Evaluation\, and Research of the Pacific Rim at the University of Hawaii – Manoa. When Felix is not sifting through data and engaging stakeholders\, you may find her white-knuckling her car seat as her 15 year-old learns how to drive. \nFelix will present on infographics. Infographics are a trendy option for reporting to stakeholders. They can be catchy and palatable. But is there a Paul Harvey? What is the rest of the story? Felix will demonstrate how to create an infographic that is “sustainable” and briefly discuss the pros and cons of its use. \n \nTo Attend\nPlease RSVP to Amy Germuth (RTPE President) at agermuth @ gmail . com \nNotice: Our next meetings will be held February 21\, 2014 and May 16\, 2014. URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/data-visualization-new-directions-implications-and-infographics/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20131016T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T234144 CREATED:20131014T161520Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220611T184534Z UID:168-1381921200-1381924800@ncevaluators.org SUMMARY:Previewing Evaluation 2013 DESCRIPTION:The American Evaluation Association’s Evaluation 2013 kicks off this week in Washington DC with professional development workshops starting today (October 14\, 2013) and the main portion beginning on Wednesday afternoon (October 16\, 2013). \nHere are some of the RTP Evaluators you will find presenting. \n\nKristin Bradley-Bull\nTobi Lippin\nKaren Peterman\nHolli Gottschall Bayonas\nSally Bond\nAmy Germuth\nJoy Sotolongo\nMyself (Chris Lysy)\n\nFor more on what they will be presenting\, and a few cartoons\, continue on.  Hope to see you in DC! \nKristin Bradley-Bull and Tobi Lippin\n\nWho Knows?  Engaging Laypeople in Meaningful\, Manageable Data Analysis and Interpretation \nProfessional Development Workshop to be held in Columbia Section 8 on Wednesday\, Oct 16\,  8am-11am \nHow can evaluators simultaneously support high-quality data analysis and interpretation and meaningful participation of “laypeople” such as program participants and staff? \nThis workshop offers a practical look at some of the key strategies developed over a decade of facilitating these processes. Learn how to provide targeted\, hands-on data analysis and interpretation training and support; develop accessible intermediate data reports; and carefully craft meeting agendas that succeed in evoking high-quality participation and analysis. This workshop will provide many take-home tools and give you a bit of hands-on experience. \nWho will get the most out of your presentation? \nAnyone who values – and maybe even uses — participatory approaches to evaluation (or anything data-related) but who hasn’t yet figured out how to apply these approaches specifically to the stage of analyzing and interpreting data. We are all about “how to” and will make sure people leave with concrete approaches they can apply right away. \nCan you give me a little teaser? \nThe recipe might be: a cup each of facilitation\, analysis\, and training skills; a pint of trust in a group of committed people to move a piece of collective work forward in a meaningful way; and “improvisation/responsiveness” to taste. \nWhat’s special about your presentation? \nMore than half the workshop will be spent with rolled-up sleeves working on exactly what we are talking about. (Did I mention we are very practical here?!) \nWhere would you like to refer people interested in your presentations? \nWe love to share what we’ve learned over\, maybe\, 15 years thus far of developing (and\, sometimes\, fumbling with) various approaches to stakeholder-engaged analysis and interpretation. Thank goodness our varied groups of stakeholders have been both flexible and willing to give a lot of feedback on their experiences! We have learned – and continue to learn – so much from them. Our website has various resources for people interested in this work: www.newperspectivesinc.org \nFacilitation: An Essential Ingredient in Evaluation Practice\nThink Tank Session 83 to be held in Columbia Section 11 on Wednesday\, Oct 16\, 6:10 PM to 6:55 PM \nThere are many intersections between evaluation and facilitation. In evaluation\, facilitation can play a role in helping groups map a theory of change\, in data collection through focus groups or other dialogues\, in analysis by involving stakeholders in making meaning of the findings. While each of these steps is described in evaluation texts and the literature\, less attention is given to describing facilitation approaches and techniques. Even less is written about evaluating facilitation practices\, which are integral to organizational development and collaborative decision-making. Choices for facilitation methods to implement depend on the client\, context\, and priorities of the work\, as well as the practitioner’s skill\, confidence\, and philosophy. This think tank brings together a group of evaluators and facilitators collaborating on a publication about these complementary practices. We hope to spark a deeper conversation and reflections among participants about the role of facilitation in evaluation and of evaluation in facilitation. \nWho will get the most out of your presentation? \nFirst\, let us say that we were invited to join this think tank\, so our perspectives may be somewhat different from the fabulous people who are convening all of us: Dawn Hanson Smart\, Rita Fierro\, and Alissa Schwartz. That said\, this think tank will be particularly interesting to evaluators already intentionally using facilitation in their work. \nCan you give me a little teaser? \nHow about a couple? We’re all thinking deeply about how facilitation is applied in an evaluation context and the implications. We are also thinking about how the field of evaluation has growth opportunities as viewed through a facilitation lens. \nWhat’s special about your presentation? \nWe love AEA conferences for many reasons – among them the number of sessions and other spaces that promote dialogue among the many\, many interesting and engaged people who attend. This think tank will be in World Café style. The session is taking place because all of us – facilitators and evaluators — under the able editorial leadership of Dawn\, Rita\, and Alissa\, are working on developing an upcoming New Directions for Evaluation issue on the intersection(s) of evaluation and facilitation. We welcome AEA folk to come help shape this conversation. \nKaren Peterman\n \nGetting Ahead of the Curve: Evaluation Methods that Anticipate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)\nPanel Session 63 to be held in Piscataway on Wednesday\, Oct 16\, 6:10 PM to 6:55 PM \nThe state of STEM evaluation practice in the early 21st Century is in transition as we await the final release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)\, which will guide research and evaluation in science education in the coming years. This panel features STEM evaluation methods that have been developed and field-tested in anticipation of the NGSS. The panelists are both evaluating supplemental education programs that promote instructional practices consistent with the NGSS in middle and high school classrooms\, and have taken advantage of the opportunity to explore evaluation methods that will reveal teaching and learning consistent with NGSS concepts and practices. Each panelist will share specific methods and field test results\, including performance-based assessments and a classroom observation protocol supported with virtual student artifacts generated as part of a technology-supported science curriculum. With feedback from the audience\, the panelists will reflect on the merits and challenges of the work. \nWho will get the most out of your presentation? \nSTEM evaluators who are interested in NGSS and methods that anticipate this policy shift \nWhat’s special about your presentation? \nThis panel is sponsored by the new STEM TIG. This is our first AEA with STEM-sponsored sessions through the TIG\, and so the panel is special for that reason. Beyond that\, Kim and I are excited about sharing our work and then talking with others about whether this is the direction that STEM evaluators’ work should be heading or whether there are other compelling new directions for those who specialize in STEM evaluation. \nReframing: The Fifth Value of Evaluators’ Communities of Practice\nPanel Session 20 to be held in Columbia Section 1 on Wednesday\, Oct 16\, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM \nIf You Aren’t Part of the Solution… Reframing the Role of the Evaluator \nEvaluators can play a key role in changing the complex adaptive systems in which our work is embedded\, but taking this responsibility necessitates reframing ideas about what it means to be an “external evaluator\,” as well as the scope of our work. The presenter\, a seasoned STEM evaluator\, will share the ways her perspectives on the evaluator’s role have evolved as part of the ECLIPS community of practice\, as well as the impact that this shift has had on her evaluation practice. Examples include (a) using participatory evaluation methods\, (b) consulting with clients to create a fuzzy logic model\, (c) positioning conclusions and recommendations in relation to the complex system itself; and (d) challenging clients to think about system-level change and how their projects really can make a difference.  The presenter will also explore whether/how evaluators consider themselves to be active and contributing members of the complex systems they evaluate. \nWho will get the most out of your presentation? \nAnyone who is interested in systems theory and the impacts it can have on evaluation as a practice and/or evaluators as professionals \nCan you give me a little teaser? \nEvaluators should start envisioning ourselves as levers\, the small changes that can result in large changes on a system. What the heck does that mean? Come to the session and find out! \nWhat’s special about your presentation? \nI think all of the panelists have studied p2i pretty extensively. We have worked hard to make our presentations beautiful and thought provoking. \nHolli Gottschall Bayonas\n \nEvaluating a Spanish Basic Language Program at a Mid-sized Southeastern University\nPoster Presentation 101 to be held Wednesday\, Oct 16\, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM \nThe author and Director of Language Instruction at a mid-sized public university are designing an evaluation of the Basic Language Program in Spanish. The Director has engaged in informal evaluation of the program since assuming the position in Fall 2009\, but within the contextual factors of the university\, such as adhering to the regional accreditation requirements\, focusing on student learning outcomes\, and the traditional program review process led by the university’s Institutional Research office\, and office of the Chancellor. The presentation will document the steps involved in designing the evaluation\, the design\, and some preliminary results. Of particular interest will be the integration of the Student Learning Outcomes within the logic model. \nIgnite Your Education: Evaluation of Teaching and Learning and Schools\nIgnite Session 253 to be held in Lincoln West on Thursday\, Oct 17\, 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM \nThe Open-Response Rating Question: A Jerry Rigged Question-type in Qualtrics™ to get at What and How Much of School Initiatives \nThis ignite presentation will share how the author used a variation of the matrix table question-type in Qualtrics™ to ask survey respondents about other programs that may be affecting the climate in their schools. The presentation will include the context for the question\, how to create the question on a survey\, visuals of how the data appears on reports\, and how the author has used the question type to show the plethora of education initiatives that exist in K-12 schools. \nSally Bond\n \nUsing Learning and Mentoring to Build Evaluation Capacity in 21st Century\nMultipaper Session 622 to be held in Suite 2101 on Friday\, Oct 18\, 2:40 PM to 4:10 PM \nAdult Learning Theory and Theories of Change in Evaluation Capacity Building Initiatives \nIncreasing demand for program accountability and results\, combined with limited resources for external evaluators\, puts pressure on internal program staff to assume more responsibility for program evaluation. Evaluation capacity building (ECB) initiatives target these program staff to increase their knowledge and skill at evaluating the implementation and outcomes of the programs they operate.  ECB initiatives often reference the use of adult learning *principles* in specific activities; however\, the theories of change underlying these initiatives rarely make use of more complex adult learning *theories.*  ECB practitioners can benefit from a deeper understanding of adult learning in order to design interventions that promote deeper learning of evaluation principles and methods.  This paper examines (a) the extent to which adult learning theories currently imbue theories of change in ECB projects and (b) the ways in which selected adult learning theories might inform ECB practice. \nThe State of Evaluation Practice in the Early 21st Century: How Has the Theme of Evaluation 2013 Influenced Our Beliefs?\nPlenary Session 994 to be held in International East on Saturday\, Oct 19\, 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM \nOver the past few days we have been conversing with our colleagues on topics that speak to our expertise\, our interests\, and our curiosities. Throughout\, one of the filters we have applied has been our conference theme\, “The State of Evaluation Practice in the Early 21st Century”. How has this filter influenced what we believe about ourselves as evaluators\, about our field\, and about what we can do for the groups we serve? The closing plenary will challenge us to address this question by giving us answers from a disparate group of evaluators. The panel represents variety with respect to tenure in the field\, domain expertise\, employment sector\, and personal background. As a spur to a collective discussion\, panel member will spend a few minutes sharing their thoughts about the conference theme. \nAmy Germuth\n \nData Visualization in the 21st Century\nMultipaper Session 296 to be held in International Center on Thursday\, Oct 17\, 2:40 PM to 4:10 PM \nThe History and Future of Data Visualization and its Impact on and Implications for Evaluation \nThis paper sets the stage for the other papers by exploring the history of data visualization\, including its roots in cartography\, statistics\, data\, visual thinking\, and technology\, and its impact on social sciences and society. Next\, attention is given to current trends in data visualization followed by predictions for its future\, with a focus on implications for evaluators and evaluation. Discussion centers on how data visualization will result in a) greater expectations among the public for transparency and data-informed decision-making\, b) greater involvement of stakeholders in data mining and analysis\, c) greater needs for evaluators to create systems that incorporate measurement and real-time reporting to drive the data-informed culture\, and d)  greater recognition by evaluators on the value of building the capacity of stakeholders to identify data needs\, understand available data\, and know their limitations in both analysis and interpretation\, driving more serious thought regarding effective data visualization and reporting. \nIndependent Consultants at the Crossroad – What Independent Consultants Report as Trends and Challenges in Evaluation and Evaluation Consulting\nBusiness Meeting Session 392 to be held in Columbia Section 7 on Thursday\, Oct 17\, 6:10 PM to 7:00 PM \nThis presentation will : (1) Provide an overview of independent consulting within the broader sphere of evaluators; (2)  Present the results of a web survey conducted in December 2012 to better understand what independent consultants as identified via membership to the AEA ICTIG. Responses from 140 members were qualitatively analyzed to identify what they perceive as future trends in evaluation and evaluation consulting over the next five years and the challenges they currently face; (3) Report on ways in which the ICTIG might move to better support independent evaluation consultants\, including what training ICTIG members reported would be most useful; and (4) Conclude with a summary and discussion of the implications of the survey responses. \nJoy Sotolongo\nAn Apple a Day Keeps the Evaluator Away? Engaging Health Care Providers in Evaluation of Community-Wide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives\nPanel Session 423 to be held in Kalorama on Friday\, Oct 18\, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM \nA Gathering of Unusual Suspects: One County’s Evaluation of Increased Access to Teen Health Services \nThis presentation will describe contributions from an array of multi-disciplinary partners for an evaluation of the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative demonstration project in Gaston County\, North Carolina. In addition to the usual suspects (health care staff)\, unusual suspects (advertising professionals\, county planners\, youth development programs) and teens themselves conduct evaluation activities. The presentation will describe the role of each contributor\, the type of data they bring to the table\, and how their multiple perspectives provide a more complete and interesting picture of the project’s experiences with increasing teen access to health services. Examples of data from the multi-disciplinary perspectives will include social marketing web analytics; detailed census tract maps; pre/post survey results; and depiction of teen experiences in their own voices. \nChris Lysy\n \nEvaluation Blogging: Improve Your Practice\, Share Your Expertise\, and Strengthen Your Network\nThink Tank Session 770 to be held in International Center on Saturday\, Oct 19\, 9:50 AM to 10:35 AM \nWant to start blogging about evaluation\, but not sure where to start? Started\, but want to know what to expect (or what to do next\, or how to keep it going)? Ready to take your independent consulting practice to the next level? Or just want to have fun with a new way of communicating with fellow evaluators? In this Think Tank session\, you will hear from bloggers with varying degrees of blogging experience who blog through a variety of channels and formats — personal blogs\, blogging on behalf of an employer\, writing for AEA365\, blogging through cartoons and videos\, or blogging by guest-posting or co-authoring blog posts. Facilitators will share strategies for success and address potential concerns relevant to both novice and veteran bloggers in an interactive format with break-out groups and opportunities for participants to ask specific questions. We’ll end with a discussion of collaboration across the blogging community. \nWho will get the most out of your presentation? \nEvaluators who are blogging\, or thinking about blogging. \nWhat’s special about your presentation? \nThe range of experience.  Sheila Robinson (http://sheilabrobinson.com/) has been blogging for about a year.  Ann Emery (http://emeryevaluation.com) for a couple years.  Myself (freshspectrum.com and evalcentral.com) and Susan Kistler (http://aea365.org/) for more than a few years.  The session will be discussion focused and only loosely structured\, so come with questions! URL:https://ncevaluators.org/event/previewing-evaluation-2013/ CATEGORIES:Professional Development END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR