Effective Reporting Strategies for Evaluators

Description: Communicating and reporting evaluation processes and findings is one of the most critical aspects of evaluation practice.  This is especially true when evaluation is conducted to contribute to decision-making and action in organizations and communities.  Yet, evaluators continually express concern that their evaluation reports are not read or shared with others, and little seems to happen with a report's recommendations.  While final reports will continue to be an expected evaluation product, it is useful to consider additional means for communicating and reporting evaluation processes and findings that may lead to a greater likelihood of evaluation use.  Such alternative methods may increase: a) the evaluation's credibility, b) the stakeholders' understanding of evaluation processes, c) the relevancy and usefulness of the evaluation's findings, and d) the extent to which an evaluation's recommendations are acted upon.  In this course, participants will have opportunity to : a) explore reasons for communicating and reporting throughout an evaluation study, b) identify various communicating and reporting audiences, c) learn about more than 15 different reporting strategies that can be used throughout an evaluation, d) learn how to choose which reporting strategies will be most useful and appropriate for various stakeholders and audiences, and e) develop a draft reporting plan for an evaluation they are currently working on or one they anticipate working on in the near future.  Experience conducting evaluation is highly recommended. Text Provided: Torres et al., Evaluation Strategies for Communicating and Reporting (2nd Ed., Sage, 2005).

Instructor: Dr. Hallie Preskill is Professor in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University. In 2005, she was elected to be incoming president of AEA, for the year 2007. She is co-author of Reframing evaluation through appreciative practices (with Catsambas, in press); and: Building Evaluation Capacity: 72 Activities for Teaching and Training (with Russ-Eft, 2004); Evaluation in Organizations: A Systematic Approach to Enhancing Learning, Performance & Change (with Russ-Eft, 2001); Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations (with Torres, 1999); Evaluation Strategies for Communication and Reporting (with Torres, & Piontek, 2nd ed., 2004); co-editor of Using Appreciative Inquiry in Evaluation (with Coghlan, 2003); and Human Resource Development Review (with Russ-Eft & Sleezer, 1997). She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Academy of Human Resource Development, and is the section editor of the Teaching Evaluation column in the American Journal of Evaluation. She received AEA's Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Award for Outstanding Professional Practice in 2002, and the University of Illinois Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004. For over 20 years, she has provided consulting services in the areas of program evaluation, training, and organization development. She has also written numerous articles and book chapters on evaluation methods and processes, and has conducted program evaluations in schools, healthcare, non-profit, human service, and corporate organizations.

Certificate:  CEP IC.d

Fee: $425