Monday, July 31, 2023

Message From the Executive Director - Eval23: The Power of Story 

From AEA Executive Director Anisha Lewis

Once upon a time, associations did not have to worry about external factors like pandemics having significant impact on their existence. Times have changed, and the last few years have been rough for many organizations, including AEA.  However, AEA has fared much better than most, and we can continue to thrive when it comes to our events.

In 2020 and 2021 we hosted successful virtual conferences. In 2022, we hosted our first in-person conference since 2019 in New Orleans, and it was a smashing success with over 2700 attendees.

In approximately 12 weeks, AEA will convene in Indianapolis for our 2023 Annual Conference, and we are counting on your participation to be part of our success story.  Our conference theme is The Power of Story, which will be addressed through many innovative lenses.

The majority of our conference program sessions can be found in our online searchable program, including professional development workshops, breakout sessions, ignite sessions, birds of a feather, poster presentations, think tanks and symposiums. To register, view the program or other get information visit the Evaluation 2023 website.  

Below are a few highlights of this year’s conference:

• AEA’s annual Awards Recognition Ceremony returns this year, as a plenary session on Friday, October 13^th at 8:30am. This event is now accessible to all and does not require a ticket.
• We will offer American Sign Language interpretation for all plenary sessions. Individual requests for other accommodations must be submitted via the registration form which helps to ensure that services are available specifically to those in need.
• We will offer morning coffee service on Wednesday-Saturday.
• Our conference space will include more “quiet areas,” with additional seating and space for work or respite. We have also asked the hotel to maximize seating in public areas of the property.
• Topical Interest Groups (TIGs) will have the opportunity to host an in-person meeting during the conference.
• Virtual access will be available for plenary sessions and Presidential Strand sessions.
• We will continue offering the long lunchbreak!

While the state of Indiana has recently passed restrictive legislation that does not align with our values, please note that due to our logistical specifications and criteria, it is very difficult to find convention space in a city or state that supports all of our ethical values. We will explore opportunities to collaborate with the Local Affiliate to determine ways in which AEA and our membership can support advocacy efforts.

I invite you to join us on Thursday, August 24^th at 2pm EST for a special Town Hall to learn about our conference site selection process and how we are balancing our criteria with state laws.

In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you at Eval23, and please contact us at info@eval.org if you have any questions.

Spaces and Places, Faces and Cases: A Tale of Where and How Stories may be Shared at Eval23 

From Esther C. Nolton, PhD, MEd

Who are we, if not storytellers? As evaluators, we have the responsibility and privilege to discover and share stories—our own or others’. These stories extend beyond the experiences of any one person or group to capture a holistic picture with many perspectives. That is, our stories often include a rich array of intrinsic and extrinsic factors and contexts that influence human behavior and experiences. Dr. Corrie Whitmore’s theme for the AEA conference this year, The Power of Story, accounts for all the ways in which stories influence evaluations and evaluations influence stories.

As a member of the 2023 AEA Presidential Conference Committee, I have had the unique opportunity to really sit with and appreciate the nuances of this year’s theme with my fellow Committee members. As a TIG leader and proposal reviewer for several TIGs, I also had the opportunity to see the creative ways in which evaluators interpreted and leveraged the theme to elevate their stories or experiences with stories. From this vantage, I came to realize and appreciate that the theme fully encompasses AEA’s mission as an organization that strives to “improve evaluation practice and methods, increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession, and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action.”

This theme offers presenters and attendees boundless opportunities to explore the utility of stories in evaluation. In addition to considering the different types of stories that are shared, the Committee has been attentive to the ways in which stories are used. During our planning discussions, committee members brought diverse perspectives about the instances, applications, and value of stories in their practice. The versatility of stories and storytelling in evaluation is manifested in thinking about stories as method, testimony, identity, and/or evidence. For example, evaluation as storytelling, stories as inquiry, the storied history of evaluation, stories of evaluators’ experiences, evaluators’ stories about their positionality and identity, stories as a form of communication and dissemination, stories as data, evaluation in service of stories, and stories as sources of credibility.

The Committee has not only generated various perspectives on the production and use of stories, but we also designed innovative avenues for storytelling before, during, and after the conference. Storytellers and listeners will engage in an exciting line up of Presidential Strand presentations, plenary keynote sessions, a story slam event, and a video project. In alignment with AEA’s values, you can expect high-quality, culturally responsive content from voices across the globe that facilitates the continual development of evaluation professionals. Reflective of the Committee itself, we have thoughtfully included diverse voices and perspectives of speakers from underrepresented groups that represent a range of thought and approaches to evaluation. The sessions are intended to be accessible and relatable to attendees at any stage in their career and, hopefully, will be refreshing and inspiring to all who participate.

Despite our planning efforts, we also hope and expect that attendees will seek additional non-structured, organic ways to share stories during and far beyond the dates of the conference. May the conference simply be a way of igniting ideas for storytelling and that stories will continue to flow from and through you in ways that you may not even realize they can. Thank you for sharing your stories, AEA members and friends, I look forward to hearing them!

Sign up for upcoming sessions in our Digital Knowledge Hub! 

Upcoming eStudy

Using Word and Excel to Analyze Qualitative Data

Presenter: Seth Tucker, Evaluation Analyst, TCC Group 
Dates: September 21 and 28 from 12:00-1:30 PM EST

Learn how to conduct rigorous qualitative analysis using familiar tools like Microsoft Word and Excel in this interactive eStudy. Discover the steps and definitions needed to organize and analyze qualitative data efficiently and effectively without the need for coding software.
Register Now

eLearning Course

AEA Focus Group eLearning Course

Course Facilitator: Rhonda Williams, PhD

Have you ever been tasked with obtaining feedback from a group of stakeholders? Do you have an interest in improving your strategies for focus groups? Have you thought about improving the coordination and planning for others to share their thoughts?

Purchase the Focus Group eLearning Course to:

• Apply the steps for focus group design, objective setting, preparation, recruitment, conducting, analyzing, and reporting.
• Analyze the use of focus groups in an evaluation context.
• Execute and summarize findings from focus groups.
• Sell stakeholders on the resources required to execute a focus group.

Access Now 

eLearning Course

Introduction to Evaluation 101

Introduction to Evaluation 101 is designed to teach you fundamental evaluation skills, allowing you to maximize the use of your evaluation and drive it home for the end user.

Purchase the Introduction to Evaluation 101 eLearning Course to:

• Describe the six steps of CDC's framework for program evaluation and their application to any evaluation.
• State program evaluation standards and how they help make intelligent choices at each step.
• Use logic models as a tool for program description.
• Identify evaluation focus, balancing the utility and feasibility standards.
• Determine an appropriate effective data collection and analysis approach.
• Discuss ways to share findings in a way that maximizes the use.

Access Now 

Save on Publications

AEA members receive discounts from certain publishers. Use the special codes below during your next purchase:
 

• Guilford Press – use the code ZFAEA online or by phone (1-800-365-7006 or 1-212-966-6708), fax or postal mail for a 25% discount on Guilford Press titles.

• Jossey Bass and Wiley Products – use code AEA13 at check-out to get a 20% discount.

• Routledge – use AEA20 to receive a 20% discount when you order through the website.
   
• SAGE Publications and Corwin Press Products – use code SAGE20 to receive a 20% discount off SAGE products.

New Jobs & RFPs from AEA's Career Center

What's new this month in the AEA Online Career Center? The following positions have been added recently: 

• Data Analyst | Keene State College
• Customer Service Representative Responsibilities | Doctor's Network & Associates
• Evaluation Officer | Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County

Explore the Online Career Center

Get Involved with AEA

• Join the AEA LinkedIn Group
• Follow AEA's Evaluation Headlines and Resources Twitter Feed
• Visit AEA's newsletter archive for past articles of interest
• Learn more about AEA's volunteer opportunities

Thank You, AEA Longstanding Members!

AEA would like to recognize and thank some of its most longstanding members. Click here to view individuals who are celebrating 5+, 10+, 20+, and 30+ years with the association this month!

Welcome to Our New Members!

AEA would like to welcome those who have recently joined the association. Click here to view a list of AEA's newest members.

About Us

AEA is a professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms.

The association's mission is to:

• Improve evaluation practices and methods
• Increase evaluation use
• Promote evaluation as a profession
• Support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action

Email: info@eval.org

Phone: 1-202-367-1166 or 1-888-232-2275 (U.S. and Canada only) 

Website: www.eval.org