Evaluation for Learning: Equity and Inclusion Workshop Series
In this workshop series, we explore evaluation for learning. Evaluation for learning is evaluation focused on understanding and improving programs, not assigning a grade/score. Engaging deeply with evaluation can improve your organizational culture, evolve your programs toward equity, and strengthen your relationships with the communities you serve. Season 1 of the series ran in 2023-2024, and now we're back with Season 2 for the 2024-2025 school year.
Series Outcomes
Umbrella Outcome: Participants use ethical, culturally responsive, and equity-focused approaches to regularly evaluate the process and outcomes of their programs as part of an evaluation cycle.
- Participants implement practices and messaging in their organizations that promote a culture of giving and receiving feedback and use evaluation as a tool for organizational learning and improvement.
- Participants have an expansive toolbox of skills, resources, and ideas to gather and make sense of quantitative and qualitative data in culturally responsive ways—e.g., facilitation protocols, observation guides, self-evaluation tools, collaborative analysis templates, and well-crafted surveys.
- Participants engage community members (defined broadly) as collaborators throughout the evaluation process—i.e., defining success, developing learning questions, collecting data, analyzing and sense-making, and taking action based on learning.
Registration Information
Dates/Times: Dates are listed below and appear individually on our Events page. All sessions are from 1 to 3 p.m. Pacific. After you register, you will receive an emailed calendar invitation with all events. The series will run for five months, starting in November 2024. If you miss any of the sessions, do not worry! You are welcome to join us at any point in the series, and if you like, you can catch up by watching videos of sessions you miss.
- Tuesday, November 19th, 1 to 3 p.m. - Evaluation for Learning Season 2 Kickoff
- Tuesday, December 17th, 1 to 3 p.m. - Data Analysis: Tips and Tools for Understanding Data
- Tuesday, January 21st, 1 to 3 p.m. - Making Meaning from our Data
- Tuesday, February 18th, 1 to 3 p.m. - Plan and Adjust: Getting Concrete about Changes
- Tuesday, March 18th, 1 to 3 p.m. - Series Wrap Up: Stories from the Field
Cost: Free
Format/Location: Zoom
Registration: Complete the online registration form. Register once for the entire series (even if you only plan to attend some of the sessions). Once you have registered, you will receive a recurring calendar invitation via email. You can accept the calendar invitation for the entire recurring series or for individual events within the series. The calendar invitations will include the Zoom links for joining events. Upon registration, you will also be added to the email list for the series, which will be used to provide updates, reminders, and resources about the series.
Accommodations: Please contact Kristi Backe (kristi.backe@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-5587) to request accommodations for this workshop series.
PDUs/CEUs: Participants will have the opportunity to request Professional Development Unit (PDU)/Continuing Education Unit (CEU) certificates for attending the workshops. We will combine requests across the entire series rather than after each session.
Contact: Please contact Kristi Backe (kristi.backe@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-5587) with any questions.
Optional Pre-Work: In the Season 1 Resources section below, you can find video clips and a Reflection Guide for the content covered in the first season of the series. If you're joining us for the first time, or if you joined for Season 1 but would like a refresher, we recommend reviewing the Season 1 videos and Reflection Guide.
Season 2 Sessions
(Session 1) Evaluation for Learning Season 2 Kickoff - Nov. 19, 2024
We’ll share resources from Season 1 and help participants enter the evaluation process wherever you're starting from.
Did you miss season 1? No sweat. Evaluation is not a linear process, and we’ll work to ensure that content is responsive and relevant to your needs. (We encourage you to check out the Season 1 Resources below if you're new!)
Session recording will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Session resources will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
(Session 2) Data Analysis: Tips and Tools for Understanding Data - Dec. 17, 2024
What counts as “data”? What questions can you answer with the data you have? We’ll share examples of the many ways to work with and understand data.
Session recording will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Session resources will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
(Session 3) Making Meaning from our Data - Jan. 21, 2024
In this session, we’ll explore what meaningful stories we might be able to uncover from data, how our own assumptions can influence our understanding, and ways to address these assumptions.
Session recording will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Session resources will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
(Session 4) Plan and Adjust: Getting Concrete about Changes - Feb. 18, 2024
Now that your evaluation process has given you new insight … what’s next? We’ll discuss ways to apply your learning and make informed choices for program improvement.
Session recording will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Session resources will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
(Session 5) Series Wrap Up: Stories from the Field - Mar. 18, 2024
In this session, we’ll listen to stories from the field, and hear from our colleagues who have evaluated, learned and improved before us.
Session recording will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Session resources will be added after the session (typically within 5 business days).
Season 1 Resources
We've created video clips and an accompanying Reflection Guide for Season 1. The Reflection Guide can be downloaded using the orange button to the right.
For those who didn't join Season 1 but are planning to join Season 2, we strongly encourage watching the videos and using the Reflection Guide before joining. You're still welcome to join Season 2 even if you haven't viewed the videos or completed the Reflection Guide, but we expect the learning experience will be improved by having a foundation in the topics and/or our approach to discussing them.
(Session 1) Getting Started: Evaluation for Learning - Nov. 21, 2023
To create a culture of evaluation and learning, we must first ask ourselves: Why evaluate? We’ll begin by examining our values, motivations and desired outcomes. This session will also provide an orientation to key principles and terms that will be used throughout the series.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 1.1: Intro to the Evaluation for Learning Series
Clip 1.2: Series Overview and Outcomes
Clip 1.3: Principles, Ideas, and Terms
Clip 1.4: Learning from the Field
Outdoor School Mission, Vision, and Values
Outdoor School Self-Evaluation Tools
Method and Data Type: https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html
Hood, Hopson, and Kirkhart 2015. "Culturally Responsive Evaluation" in Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, Fourth Edition (Newcomer, Hatrey, Wholey, Eds.).
Participatory Evaluation Resource: https://publicscienceproject.org/
NAAEE eeVAL Website: https://evaluation.naaee.org/
Additional eeVAL Resources: bit.ly/eeVALsite
(Session 2) Identity and Culture in Evaluation - Dec. 19, 2023
Where we stand determines our understanding. Equitable, culturally responsive evaluation centers identity and culture. It must consider our communities and ourselves. During this session, we will explore the importance of self-awareness, humility, and transparency in evaluation.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 2.1: Introduction and Grounding Activity
Clip 2.2: Identity and Culture in Evaluation
Clip 2.3: Story from the Field - Catherine Alexander
Clip 2.4: Learning Reflection and Extension
(Session 3) Setting Evaluation Priorities - Jan. 23, 2024
Evaluation can have diverse purposes and take many forms. How do we decide what’s right for our respective settings? In this session, we will offer ideas for where to start and how to prioritize. We will give 3-4 concrete examples of evaluations conducted by organizations and programs and will invite lots of sharing from participants about your own ideas, questions, and experiences related to evaluation.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 3.1: Feedback from Session 2
Clip 3.2: Learning Outcome, Objectives, and Evaluation Models
Clip 3.3: Stories from the Field - Jennifer Basham
Clip 3.4: Stories from the Field - Libby VanWyhe
Clip 3.5: Stories from the Field - Shawn Hardy
Clip 3.6: Learning Reflection and Extension
Logic model guidance from MEERA (Once the new eeVAL website is built, MEERA’s page may disappear)
Social Change Happens from the Inside/Out (blog)
Results Based Accountability (webpage)
Frameworks for thinking about your program in parts and as a whole (handout packet shared during the workshop)
Tools for developing a culture of feedback around instructor and program output quality (examples shared during the workshop)
(Session 4) Co-Construct Evaluation Questions with Your Outdoor School Communities - Feb. 20, 2024
Whose voices will define what quality and success look like? In this session, we will share a participatory approach to co-construct evaluation questions with community, staff, and youth.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 4.1: Reflections from Phone Interviews
Clip 4.2: Co-Constructing Evaluation Questions
Clip 4.3: Rethinking Quality and Success
Clip 4.4: Stories from the Field - Megan Selvig
Clip 4.5: Engaging Community in Discussion
Generative Discussion Questions for Community Conversations (Google Doc) (also available as a PDF)
Kirkhart’s A Culture Checklist - excerpt from Hood, Hopson, & Kirkhart (2015)
Data Equity Deck from Data+Soul, A project of MXM Research Group
(Session 5) Choosing and Designing Your Data Gathering Tools - Mar. 19, 2024
Every evaluation tool has benefits and limitations. We will consider three main tools for Outdoor School evaluation: surveys, observation, and interactive student activities. In this session, work in small groups to select and begin designing the right tool for your organization’s goals.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 5.1: Starting Your Data Collection Plan
Clip 5.3: Key Informant Interviews and Focus Groups - Charissa Jones
Clip 5.4: Observations - Celeste Janssen
Clip 5.5: Interactive Reflection and Data Collection - Leanne Giordono
Clip 5.7: Looking Back and Learning Extension
(Session 6) Making Sense of the Data We Collect - Apr. 16, 2024
In this session, we will continue to discuss and refine plans for data collection and explore approaches to data analysis, including collaborative approaches that involve outdoor school communities in making sense of the data we’ve collected.
We recommend using the Reflection Guide as you view the following session videos:
Clip 6.1: Revisiting Your Data Collection Plan
Clip 6.2: Making Sense of the Data We Collect
Clip 6.3: Facilitating a Data Dive