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CES Conference Bursary Winner Barry Kaplan
Barry Kaplan was the recipient of the 2019 CES Conference Bursary from the Ontario chapter. Here are his impressions of his experience:My objectives in attending CES2019 were to learn about good evaluation practices, to network with peers, and to gain some advice about “next steps” for me as a new practitioner. I feel that my participation in this year’s CES conference has moved me forward on all of my objectives. Although I have 25+ years of experience working in projects where evaluation was a component of the job responsibilities, I am just now seeing myself, and promoting myself, as an evaluator. Two experiences have bolstered my confidence in this regard: 1) completing Carleton University’s Graduate Diploma in Policy and Program Evaluation in December 2018, and 2) attending the CES2019 conference. The sessions I found most interesting and useful were “The Evaluative Market in Canada”, and “Rubrics – the Bridge that Connects Evidence and Explicit Evaluative Reasoning.” An unexpected benefit that I gained from my participation in CES2019 emerged when I reflected on my values related to “diversity.” Typically, when working on an evaluation project, my approach to stakeholder interaction and knowledge transfer assumes a “realist” paradigm. Hearing the viewpoints of some of the CES2019 delegates, especially the frequently passionately-expressed viewpoints of some of the younger CES2019 delegates, was moving for me. As much as is contextually reasonable, I will begin to increase the importance I assign to inclusivity – related to research design and modes of communication among people connected with the evaluation project (including myself and associates). I expect that this new prioritization will also flow through to my planning efforts of operational matters for focus groups, interviews, and meetings – related to food, room temperature, inclusive washrooms, barrier-reduced/barrier-free facilities, and environmentally-friendly transportation to and from the facility. Being able to attend the 2019 CES conference was beneficial and fun for me and I am grateful to CES-Ontario for providing me with the conference registration bursary. Thank you.
Thanks, Barry!
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