The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University offers lectures, seminars, group work, and presentations through the Evaluation Cafe to enhance knowledge and skills in the field of evaluation.
"The museum in the 21st century - The children's point of view: an exploratory study on the experiences of children in educational museums"
Date: Sept. 21, 2016
Presenter: Jessica Knauer, Research Associate, and Ph.D. Student, Chair of General Pedagogy, University of Passau, Germany
"Getting to go: Launching evaluation in a new medical school"
Date: Sept. 28, 2016
Presenter: Jeffrey Greene, Assistant Professor of Medical Education, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine
"Setting a baseline: data to support evidence-based juvenile diversion programs in Kalamazoo"
Date: Oct. 5, 2016 Presenter: Anthony Frontiera, Master's Student, Sociology Department, Western Michigan University, and Youth Development Coordinator, Portage Community Center
"Anatomy of a user-friendly evaluation report: Feedback session"
Date: Oct. 12, 2016
Presenter: Kelly Robertson, Senior Research Associate, The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University.
"Reducing workload in large meta-analyses: Online tools and techniques"
Date: Oct. 19, 2016
Presenter: William Maddix, Dustin Anderson, Qian Wang, and Qi Zhang, Students in Evaluation, Measurement, and Research, Western Michigan University
"Interning at the International Labor Organization (ILO): Evaluation in the un system"
Date: Nov. 2, 2016
Presenter: Erica Fiekowsky, IDPE Doctoral Research Associate, The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University
"Being an evaluation professional in the context of the United Nations"
Date: Nov. 9, 2016
Presenter: Corey Smith, IDPE Doctoral Student, Western Michigan University, and Evaluator
"Bridging the divide: The utilization of key interpersonal skills and client engagement"
Date: Nov. 16, 2016
Presenter: Chad Jobin and Molly Hungerford, Evaluation Associates, Curtis Center for Program Evaluation, University of Michigan School of Social Work
"The organizational and political landscape for evidence-informed decision making in government"
Date: Nov. 30, 2016
Presenter: Kathryn Newcomer, Director, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, and President-Elect, American Evaluation Association
"Dissertations and theses in the digital age"
Date: Dec. 7, 2016
Presenter: Maira Bundza, Associate Professor of University Libraries, Western Michigan University
"Evaluation, measurement, research and being the 'expert'"
Date: Jan. 25, 2017
Presenter: Brooks Applegate, Program Coordinator for the graduate programs in Evaluation, Measurement, and Research, Western Michigan University
"Goal-free evaluation: In theory & practice"
Date: Feb. 1, 2017
Presenter: Brandon Youker, Assistant Professor, Grand Valley State University
"Sensemaking in evaluation"
Date: Feb. 8, 2017
Presenter: Bethany Laursen, Interdisciplinarity Theorist and Consultant, Laursen Evaluation and Design, LLC
"Complexity in evaluation and program design: Shifting the dialogue with funders for more useful knowledge and understanding"
Date: Feb. 15, 2017
Presenter: Jonny Morell, Principal, 4.669 Evaluation and Planning; Editor, Evaluation and Program Planning; Director of Evaluation, Syntek Technologies
"Evaluation prospects: The un experience"
Date: Feb. 22, 2017
Presenter: Ruqayyah Abu-Obaid, IDPE Student, Western Michigan University
"The role of evaluation in the advancement of racial equity"
Date: March 1, 2017
Presenter: Nadia Brigham, Program Officer of Racial Equity and Community Engagement, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
"Using group concept mapping to further define, develop, and apply impact evaluation in the ILO"
Date: March 15, 2017
Presenter: Corey Smith, IDPE Student, Western Michigan University, and Evaluator, iEval
"Interpreting social life through qualitative discourse analysis"
Date: March 22, 2017
Presenter: Jesse Smith, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Western Michigan University
"Creating an interactive logic model"
Date: March 29, 2017
Presenter: Erica Fiekowsky, IDPE Student, Western Michigan University
"Beer: malt, hops, yeast, water, and data!"
Date: April 5, 2017
Presenter: Matt Moberly, Director of Business Insights at Bell's Brewery, Inc.; Jaime Lego, Business Insights Project Specialist, Bell's Brewery, Inc.; Blake Violette, Lead Forecast Analyst, Bell's Brewery, Inc.
"Measuring influence: A quagmire of metrics"
Date: April 12, 2017
Presenter: Gregory D. Greenman, Doctoral Candidate, IDPE, Western Michigan University
"The evolution of evaluation at the CDC"
Date: April 19, 2017
Presenter: Jan Fields, Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Western Michigan University