Presenters:
Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner, PhD, MST, MPH, (she/her) is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

Amanda McWhorter, DrPH, MPH is the Deputy Associate Director in the Division of State and Local Readiness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Description:
How can we transform our organizations into learning powerhouses, fueled by our evaluation findings? Evaluation data, findings, and recommendations should do more than sit on a shelf. They can drive program improvement, inform decision-making, and boost accountability to funders and stakeholders. Effective use of evaluation findings remains an elusive milestone for many organizations. In this workshop, participants will go deep into thinking about how to ensure their evaluation findings are used. The course presents a set of evidenced-based factors known to influence organizations' use of their evaluation findings. Participants will learn about the factors in four categories (instrumental, conceptual, enlightenment, and process) and explore examples of effective approaches. Participants will then apply the concepts to their own settings, reflect upon their own past and possible successes and challenges, learn from each other through facilitated discussions, and leave with a plan to foster improved use of evaluation findings within own settings.


Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to:
1) Describe the four categories of factors that influence the use of evaluation findings
2) Apply three factors that influence the use of evaluation findings to the organization
3) Formulate a plan to enact two actions that will increase the use of evaluation findings in the organization.


Agenda and Learning Strategies:
Part 1: Set the stage (1 hour)
Welcome and introductions (20 min)
Grounding the research and literature (10 min)
Primer on uses: enlightenment, conceptual, instrumental (10 min)
Activity: How have you used evaluation findings? (20 min)
Part 2: Focus on factors (1 hour)
Case studies: Factors that influence evaluation use (10 min)
Activity: organizational scan for eval use needs and assets (30 min)
Facilitated discussion on shared challenges and victories (20 min)
Part 3: Apply in your context (1 hour)
Activity: explore intersections between needs and opportunities in your organization/program (20 min)
Facilitated discussion on ideas for overcoming hurdles and possibilities for change (20 min)
Activity: Action plan development (20 min) Teaching strategies will integrate adult learning principles and engage learners through interactive activities interspersed with brief lectures. Participants will be introduced to each topic, apply the concepts during an activity, and then discuss in small groups. Activities will include an organizational asset and needs scan; case study examination; application of factors to scenarios; participant analysis and action planning for the organization.


This workshop is aligned to AEA’s Competencies and Guiding Principles as follows:
This workshop aligns most closely with two of the AEA competencies in Domain 3 that relate:
Focusing on understanding the unique circumstances, multiple perspectives, and changing settings of evaluations and their users/stakeholders, the competencies in Domain 4 that relate to planning and management include networking, developing proposals, contracting, determining work assignments, monitoring progress, and fostering use, and in Domain 5 that relate to human relations and social interactions that ground evaluator effectiveness for professional practice throughout the evaluation. Specifically, this includes the following:
3.2 Engages a diverse range of users/stakeholders throughout the evaluation process.
3.8 Promotes evaluation use and influence in context.
4.4 Plans for evaluation use and influence.
5.1 Fosters positive relationships for professional practice and evaluation use.

This workshop aligns with AEA's Guiding Principles. Most especially it aligns with "Principle E Common Good and Equity: Evaluators strive to contribute to the common good and advancement of an equitable and just society," and specifically element "E4. Promote transparency and active sharing of data and findings with the goal of equitable access to information in forms that respect people and honor promises of confidentiality." The intent of this workshop is to promote and foster better utilization and application of evaluation findings, honoring the work of the evaluation and the time and labor of all those who participated in an evaluation. This is with the intent to use findings to inform decisions that work to change systems, programs, policies, and initiative that better achieve their outcomes.


Facilitation Experience:
Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner: 4 years of teaching online; 20 workshops / trainings Conceptualized, developed, and delivered
Amanda McWhorter: trained facilitator and health educator conducting webinars, workshops, and retreats for 10+ years; 6 months of teaching online; 15 workshops / trainings Conceptualized, developed, and delivered


Dates:
August 1, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time