1. An introduction to the EES Voluntary Evaluator Peer Review (VEPR)

2. Next step in enhancing professionalisation
Determining the knowledge and skills base
Capabilities Framework
Determining ethical standards
Ethics guidelines
Clarifying acceptable levels of competence
Practice standards
Professional development
Developing the individual practitioner

3. Kolb’s reflective cycle
Professional activity and experience
Reflect critically on experience
Explore underlying principles and other practice options
Plan action/revision based on principles and learning

4. VEPR discovery process
(Enhanced) Professional activity and experience
Reflect critically on experience
Explore underlying principles and other practice options
Plan action/revision based on principles and learning
“What? So what? Now what?”

5. VEPR Charter of Principles
Voluntariness
Willing participation, no obligation
Autonomy
Review by evaluation practitioners, for evaluation practitioners
Legitimacy
Explicit capabilities framework endorsed by EES members
Pluralism
Responsiveness to diverse roles, cultures, levels of experience and theoretical/methodological preferences
Transparency
Public access to review governance and guidelines
Quality assurance
Impartiality; reviewer training and selection process

6. The VEPR process
START POINT Qualifying experience + Capabilities Framework
Application for peer review
Identify capabilities for review
Follow-up after 3 years
Reviewee listed in VEPR online Index
Select relevant reviewers
Report on reviewee’s learning
Identify practice & PD options
Face-to-face review meeting

7. VEPR focus and objectives
The VEPR approach does not seek to judge a practitioner’s evaluation capabilities or competence, but rather to explore their willingness to engage in a rigorous, structured, peer-facilitated professional review that is focused around self-identified areas for professional development.

8. Potential benefits Individual Evaluation community Institutional
Professional development aspirational and normative
Professional association facilitating relevant PD
Ongoing regular PD through habit of reflection

9. VEPR design, systems processes
Why pilot the VEPR?
VEPR design, systems processes
Forms, processes
Admin & manage’t
Reviewer competence
Review process
Reporting on learning
Listing

10.  Your Society needs you!
Volunteers – reviewees and reviewers - will be…
Range of age, gender, culture, nationality
Range of evaluation practitioner roles
Reasonably proficient in English (for 1st round)
Able to commit approx 6 hours during Nov-Feb
Interested to be a reviewee, and possibly a reviewer
Reviewer volunteers will, having completed a VEPR review,…
Undertake approx 4 hours online training
Go through a selection process, including a 15 minute interview with the VEPR Coordinator

11. Contacts
For further information, please contact members of the EES VEPR Working Group:
Pam Oliver (VEPR Coordinator)
Weronika Felcis
Aida El-Khoury de Paula
Carlos Rodriguez Ariza
Riitta Oksanen