Patricia Rogers April 23, 2012 Rome IMPROVING EVALUATION BY SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT METHODS

WHY Wikipedia: Evaluation Methods

WHY

BetterEvaluation An international collaborative project to improve evaluation practice and theory by sharing information about methods

WEBSITE COMMUNITY Examples Descriptions Tools Guides Comments R & D Documenting Sharing Events WHAT

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Trip AdvisorBetterEvaluation Reporting on experiences with hotels, hostels, B and Bs Reporting on experiences with evaluation methods, tools, approaches Users photos Users examples – reports, handouts, presentations Rating of hotelsRating of resources Advice on whether to go or how to travel well Advice on choosing or using methods Open access to read, need to login to add comments Same HOW THEY ARE ALIKE

Trip AdvisorBetterEvaluation CommercialPublic good Funded by private investors and companies Funded by philanthropic organizations, NGOs and other public good organizations Began in 2000Began in 2010 Rating of hotels Comments only on methods, since their appropriateness is highly dependent on context No moderation of content from users Moderation of content HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT

Co-creation by practitioners, researchers, sector experts, method experts

Reflection, processes for quality and authenticity

Rooted in practical experience

Task oriented taxonomy: Support to navigate options Photo: David Masters

13 MANAGE DEFINE FRAME UNDERSTAND CAUSES SYNTHESIZE & VALUE REPORT AND SUPPORT USE DESCRIBE CDC Evaluation Framework with BetterEvaluation components overlaid

Methodological pluralism Simon Kneebone Show Me The Change

15 Spotlight on invisible evaluation tasks and less well known methods

For example... COMPONENT: FRAME Task: Decide Key Evaluation Questions Task: Identify & negotiate values METHODS TO NEGOTIATE BETWEEN DIFFERENT VALUES Concept mapping Critical systems heuristics Delphi technique Dotmocracy Open Space Technology Public consultations METHODS THAT HELP ARTICULATE TACIT VALUES Hierarchical Card Sorting Open Space Technology Photovoice Rich Pictures Stories of change Value clarification interviews Value clarification public opinion questionnaires METHODS THAT DRAW ON FORMAL STATEMENTS OF VALUES Benchmarks and Standards DAC Criteria Millennium Development Goals Stated objectives and goals (including Legislative review and Policy Statements)

17 Respectful, inclusive and constructive discussion

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6/3/2014RMIT University19

6/3/2014RMIT University20

6/3/2014RMIT University21

Who is BetterEvaluation? Founding partners – Institutional Learning and Change initiative, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research – Overseas Development Institute – Pact – RMIT University Financial supporters – International Fund for Agricultural Development – Rockefeller Foundation

How could you benefit from BetterEvaluation? Advice for choosing appropriate methods Advice on applying methods effectively A framework for thinking about evaluation design Discover new methods Learn from other practitioners and experts Library of resources, case study, links and people

How could you contribute to BetterEvaluation? Suggest methods Comment on content Improve the description Suggest resources Rate resources Curate a section Host a writeshop Financially support BetterEval Spread the word