10 ways to connect in 2019

Dear DEI community:

People tell us, “I feel alone when in developmental evaluation and wish I had a community of practice.” We hear you. Kate McKegg, Nan Wehipeihana and I are creating opportunities for  developmental evaluators to connect in 2019. Please consider engaging in these different ways.

1.     Attend our February 13-15 Convening, Getting to Grips With Developmental Evaluation, in Raglan, New Zealand: https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/events/

2.     Donate: Any contribute helps! https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/donate/ Please note that we do not yet have tax exempt status.

3.     Share your experience: We are looking for developmental evaluation examples in the form of blog posts, case studies, art work, music, photographs, public reports, and more. Email me directly if you have something to share.

4.     Download the first even developmental evaluation e-anthology: https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/eanthology/

5.     Tell us what you need: Let us know what you want and need so we can consider the developmental evaluation community’s needs when developing workshops, courses and materials: https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/dei-survey/

6.     Follow us on Social Media: Twitter (@DE_Institute ), FaceBook (https://www.facebook.com/DevelopmentalEval/), and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/developmentalevaluationinstitute/)

7.     Tag us when posting about developmental evaluation on social media: #DE_Institute, #DevelopmentalEval 

8.     Volunteer: Do you have a skill to contribute? Help us write a monthly newsletter, create social media posts, create online courses, manage the logistics of registrations, etc.  Share your interest via our contact form. https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/contact-us/

9.     Help us get the word out: Share this email widely with colleagues! We invite leaders, funders, community members, students, and more to get involved. Developmental evaluation isn’t just for evaluators.

10.  Stay in touch: Complete our contact form so we can stay in touch: https://www.developmentalevaluation.institute/contact-us/

Happy New Year!

Nora, Kate & Nan

DE Guiding Principles: Evaluation Rigour

Asks probing evaluation questions; thinks and engages evaluatively; questions assumptions; applies evaluation logic; uses appropriate methods; synthesises and makes meaning from a values inspired framework and stays empirically grounded.

• Developmental Evaluation it not evaluation lite. To ensure evaluation rigour, evaluators should have deep methodological toolkits and be flexible in their application of evaluation tools, methods and approaches to best meet the needs of key stakeholders, communities and the innovation. Evaluators need to be able to couple their choices of methods and approaches with context.

• Typically in a Developmental Evaluation, an adaptive action cycle of inquiry – What, So what, Now what – is an essential process that allows for shared emergent and iterative questioning, reflection and action.  

• Evaluative reasoning and thinking is an essential part of Developmental Evaluation i.e., combining evidence and values to reach conclusions about quality and value. It is with rigorous thinking that rigour is displayed.

Questions to ask ourselves:

• What kinds of thinking are we familiar with?

• How often do we question the thinking that is needed in evaluative contexts?

• What perspectives and values need to be included in decisions about evaluative criteria, design and synthesis?

DE Guiding Principles: Timely and Culturally Appropriate Feedback

Informs ongoing adaptation as needs, findings, and insights emerge, responding to the natural rhythms and cultural norms of the context the development and evaluation are happening within.

• Timeframes in Developmental Evaluation need to be matched to the rhythms of the initiative  - so situational responsiveness is an imperative.

• It’s important to think creatively about what an evaluation process or product might look like, taking cues and guidance from the context and situation.

• Increasing credibility and use usually requires forms of expression that map to the context.  

Questions to ask ourselves:

• What will ‘good’ delivery of feedback look like in this context?

• What will be needed to ensure feedback is culturally appropriate?

DE Guiding Principles: Social Justice Purpose

Illuminates, informs and supports what is being developed and how it addresses the root causes of systemic inequities, identifying the implications and consequences of what is being developed.

In complex situations, as people are innovating, Developmental Evaluation’s purpose is to support the innovation to develop by helping to:

• identify what is emerging, as well as examining the dynamics of a situation

• support decisions about what to carry forward, what to leave behind, what to adapt, what new things to do

• unpack how context is affecting the development process including the degree, nature and consequences of adaptive innovation

• track, monitor and interpret systems changes that might affect development

• ensure real time feedback is available about emergent needs, challenges, flows of information and resources.

Questions to ask ourselves:

• How comfortable is it to raise and unpack new and challenging issues with innovators and leaders?

• How prepared are we to draw on and utilise a wide range of perspectives and networks to understand different situations and contexts?

DEI Webinar: Why the Developmental Evaluation Institute?

DEI Inaugural Events v3 by Jeremiah Dean

Developmental Evaluation for Social Justice Institute: Faster Forward Fund Grant Funding

The Developmental Evaluation Institute for Social Justice Institute is the brainchild of Nora Murphy of the TerraLuna Collaborative and Kate McKegg and Nan Wehipeihana of the Kinnect Group. Still, In the early design and development stage, the Institute aims to provide an alternative pathway for new evaluators from under-represented communities who want to work as Developmental Evaluators for social justice. Follow the progress of the Institute here. Nora, Kate, and Nan would like to acknowledge The Faster Forward Fund for providing grant funding to support the development and launch of the Institute.