Call for Workshops

The Canadian Evaluation Society invites you to submit a proposal for a workshop at the 2015 annual conference being held from May 24 to 27 in Montreal. The preconference workshops will take place on Sunday, May 24.

These workshops will offer training to the participants from a perspective of professional competencies development, reinforcement, and advancement. The activities must therefore meet the current standards of knowledge and skills in the field of program evaluation.

With this in mind, any professional, professor or practitioner, Canadian or from abroad, is invited to submit a relevant, original and innovative proposal. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 19, 2014, before midnight.

Submit a workshop proposal.

Information About the Workshops

Workshops will be held on Sunday, May 24, and they will be delivered in the language of submission (English or French).

Facilitators have three options:

  • Full Day – 9:00am to 4:00pm
  • Morning – 9:00am to 12:00pm
  • Afternoon – 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Workshop Themes

Following extensive consultation and review of existing needs assessment studies and the Competencies required to obtain the designation of Credentialed Evaluator, the Organizing Committee has identified the following priority themes. Of course, the Committee also remains open to suggestions for workshops on other themes.

1. Learning and appropriation in participatory approaches

  • How to manage the evaluation process at every stage to ensure stakeholder engagement in the evaluation as well as ownership of results to make an adequate use of them

2. Communicating results 

  • What are the most appropriate ways to present results, depending on the types of data (qualitative, quantitative), contexts, types of evaluation, stakeholders?
  • Best practices to promote implementation of recommendations

3. Contribution analysis

Contribution analysis aims at exploring, explaining, and demonstrating a plausible association between program contributions and desired consequences:

  • What are the steps?
  • Best contexts to use it
  • What are some winning conditions and pitfalls in using it?

4. Fundamental distinctions

  • What are the distinctions between different themes and methods that we often hear about? For example: Evaluation, policy analysis, meta-analysis, rapid assessment method
  • When to use them? For what purpose?

5. Evaluation theories and models:

  • Foundations
  • Meta-theories
  • Various models and their contribution to good practice
  • Latest trends in the field

6. Case studies: from single to multiple cases

7. Qualitative Data Analysis: Beyond traditional approaches

8. Mixed methods in evaluation 

  • The idealized continuum between the quantitative and qualitative methods
  • Conditions of use for mixed methods
  • Contribution
  • Approaches
  • Warnings

9. Analyses cost effectiveness / cost-benefit analysis (profit) and comparative cost analysis

  • Distinction
  • Their characteristics and respective contributions
  • Processes
  • Benefits and pitfalls

10. Evaluation in different activity sectors such as health, community intervention, education, specific clientele

Regarding a specific sector:

  • Characteristics
  • Framework
  • Innovations and best practices

11. Performance measurement

  • Differences and overlaps between performance measurement and evaluation
  • Selecting indicators
  • Feedback processes and establishing program effectiveness
  • Contribution to the evaluation process

12. Any other subject :

Any proposition relevant to evaluators’ needs and/or the CES Competencies.

Workshop Proposal Submission Procedures

Workshop proposals can be submitted electronically through this link: Workshop Proposal Submission Form.

Note: Be sure to complete all 16 information fields and checklists, since incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. Carefully review and edit your responses, prior to submitting your completed proposal.

Please contact the Conference secretariat for additional information.

An independent review committee will rate the submitted proposals according to criteria. Notification will be sent at the end of January, 2015.

Submission Criteria for Workshops

The independent review committee will evaluate each proposal based on the following criteria:

  • Relevance of the topic (fits into the themes or is accompanied by a justification of its relevance) – 20%
  • Goal clarity and realism – 20%
  • Clarity and realism of teaching/learning strategies – 20%
  • Workshop facilitator’s expertise and experience on subject matter as well as facilitation ( subject expertise; excellent communication experience) – 20%
  • Global quality of the proposal (original and innovative) – 20%

Other Information

In recognition of the additional work involved in planning and delivering a workshop, CES will offer:

  • For a Half-day workshop: 50% reduced registration fee, for the CES 2015 Conference, for one facilitator
  • For a Full-day workshop: CES 2015 Conference registration fee waiver for one facilitator

Should facilitators be in a position to decline the registration fee waiver, please feel free to do so.

The Conference Workshops Committee will be available to provide guidance and answer questions. He will also inform facilitators at specified date to provide workshops materials (agendas, deck presentations, case studies, etc.).

Please note that a data projector, PC laptop, screen and flip charts will be provided.

If facilitators need additional equipment, it is advised to inform the Committee to discuss if necessary arrangements can be made.

Submit a workshop proposal.

Thank you for your commitment and looking forward to welcome you next May in Montreal!