This article describes lessons learned about implementing evaluations in hospital settings. In order to overcome the methodological dilemmas inherent in this environment, we used a practical participatory evaluation (P-PE) strategy to engage as many stakeholders as possible in the process of evaluating a clinical demonstration project.…

In 1999, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded funds to the Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University to conduct an external evaluation of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. ATE, a federally mandated program designed to increase the number and quality of skilled technicians in the U.S. workforce, has funded over 346…

A cross-case analysis of four National Science Foundation (NSF) case studies identified both unique details and common themes related to promoting the use and influence of multisite evaluations. The analysis provided evidence of diverse evaluation use by stakeholders and suggested that people taking part in the multisite evaluations perceived…

In October 2010, WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) won an i3 "Validation" grant to scale up and validate the Reading Apprenticeship (RA) model in three core secondary content area classes: U.S. history, biology, and English language arts. SLI's proposal stated two goals. Goal 1: To transform academic literacy teaching and…

Reviews critical dimensions in evaluation that emerge from efforts to promote use within a context of stakeholder participation. Case examples illustrate two potentially problematic domains: stakeholder selection and depth of stakeholder involvement. (Author/SLD)

Uses the results of an instrumental case study to identify issues connected to evaluation participation and its representation and the role of the internal evaluator in democratic, deliberative evaluation. Identified direct participation and participation by representation, sanctioned or unsanctioned representation, and extrinsic and intrinsic…

Shows how evaluators can handle conflict and create, restore, and maintain conditions for an ongoing negotiation process using the example of a vocational rehabilitation project for psychiatric patients in which a conflict developed between management and therapists. (SLD)

Describes a method that uses program participants' compliance with program instructions as a means of classifying participants and in that way obtains a randomized control group for a subset of participants. Illustrates two variations of the method through a large smoking-intervention project. (SLD)

Few studies exist on the impact of practical participatory evaluation when the evaluator is not only a member of the organization, but also has program knowledge and expertise. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by reporting on a 2.5-year longitudinal single case study of practical participatory evaluation of a national, publicly…

Describes the Case Competition established by the Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society based on the national Case Competition model. Describes the competition as an opportunity for students to gain skills, confidence, and contacts while working as teams. (SLD)

Presents some reflections on the Case Competition of the Canadian Evaluation Society from the perspective of coaches who prepare students for the competition. Outlines the preparation for and the rewards of the experience. (SLD)

This report shares insights on varied experiences in action research at the university level and describes methods for involving subjects in research. Examples used include case histories of two projects: the Projet de recherche et d'intervention a la maison (PRIM), a research project on home intervention; and the Ford Teaching Project. Based on…

Presents the perspective of students who have competed in the Case Competition of the Canadian Evaluation Society in which teams of three to five students analyze an evaluation case and present findings to a panel of judges. Students describe participation as a unique and invaluable learning experience. (SLD)

Illustrates the contribution that the Student Case Competition of the Canadian Evaluation Society can make to agencies with evaluation needs by describing the experience of an addiction and family services program whose gambling addiction treatment program used as the case in the qualifying round of the 1998 competition. (SLD)

This paper presents research results from evaluations of the effectiveness of coalitions, and also presents a discussion of the identified characteristics of effective coalitions, a measurement tool developed to assess coalition effectiveness, and the application of this tool. Characteristics of successful coalitions and partnerships that have…