Evaluation Training and Professional Development

Hello ATE Community!

My name is Cheryl Endres, and I am the new blog editor and doctoral associate for EvaluATE. I am a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation program at Western Michigan University. To help me begin to learn more about ATE and identify blog topics, we (EvaluATE) took a closer look at some results from the survey conducted by EvaluATE’s external evaluator. As you can see from the chart, the majority of ATE evaluators have gotten their knowledge about evaluation on the job, through self-study, and nonacademic professional development. Knowing this gives us some idea about additional resources for building your evaluation “toolkit.”

It may be difficult for practicing evaluators to take time for formal, graduate-level coursework.  Fortunately, there are abundant opportunities just a click away on the Internet!  Since wading through the array of options can be somewhat daunting, we have compiled a short list to get you started in your quest. As the evaluation field continues to expand, the opportunities do as well, and there are a number of online and in-person options for continuing to build your knowledge base about evaluation. Listed below are just a few to get you started:

• The EvaluATE webinars evalu-ate.org/category/webinars/ are a great place to get started for information specific to evaluation in the ATE context.
• The American Evaluation Association has a “Learn” tab that provides information about the Coffee Break Webinar series, eStudies, and the Summer Evaluation Institute. There are also links to online and in-person events around the country (and world) and university programs, some of which offer certificate programs in evaluation in addition to degree programs (master’s or doctoral level). The AEA annual conference in November is also a great option, offering an array of preconference workshops: eval.org
• The Canadian Evaluation Society offers free webinars to members. The site includes archived webinars as well: evaluationcanada.ca/professional-learning
• The Evaluators’ Institute at George Washington University offers in-person institutes in Washington, D.C. in February and July. They offer four different certificates in evaluation. Check out the schedules at tei.gwu.edu
• EvalPartners has a number of free e-learning programs: mymande.org/elearning

These should get you started. If you find other good sources, please email me at cheryl.endres@wmich.edu.