This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at danawanzer.com This blog post was originally posted in the American Evaluation Association July 2020 newsletter. Thank you to AEA for asking me to reflect on what the AEA values mean to me and how they guide my work. This summer has been a time […]
After-Action Review: Learning Together Through Complexity
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at cense.ca. Complexity science is the study of how systems behave when under conditions of high dynamism (change) and instability due to the number, sequencing, and organization of actors, relationships, and outcomes. Complex systems pose difficulty drawing clear lessons because the relationship between causes and […]
If we cannot define “museums,” how do museums survive?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at rka-learnwithus.com. Last year, my colleagues and I chatted about the work of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to propose a new definition of museums. We listened to the MuseoPunks podcast, which featured different speakers talking about their perspectives on the definition process. At […]
Scoping an Evaluation: Begin with the Purpose
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at evalacademy.com. Recently I made the decision to buy a bike. Like many others, I’ve put on some COVID weight and thought incorporating some exercise into my daily routine would help. I didn’t have a bike, so I started shopping for one. Google is […]
Five Ways Evaluators Can Further Accessibility Efforts in Museums
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at rka-learnwithus.com. Sunday marked the 30-year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). My first thought was, “Really, only 30 years?” It is shocking that people in the United States with disabilities had to wait so long to have their rights acknowledged by our […]
No Data?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at communityevaluationsolutions.com. Ok, Nonprofit leaders, now that I have your attention……Shameless use of a cat and Star Trek GIF I know. In fact, I bet you are actually drowning in data, but it’s just not organized and used! I once worked with a large nonprofit […]
Now is the time.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at engagewithdata.com. Fear. Uncertainty. Frustration. Isolation. In recent conversations with districts across the country and in analyses of surveys for clients, these words have come up a lot. Families, educators, and community members are feeling a whole lot of unpleasant things as we grapple with […]
Can Your Dataviz Have an Influence on School Reopening Plans?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at depictdatastudio.com. Our organizations collect all this data—through surveys, assessments, interviews, and so on—and then what? The default: The data just sits there inside a Dusty Shelf Report. But what if your data could actually inform real-life decisions? I recently sat down with Vivian Jefferson from Loudoun County Public Schools, a growing […]
Personas: Visualizing Your Audience & Customer
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at cense.ca. When we design any service or product we are creating it with someone in mind. Personas are a design-oriented approach that can enable us to envision this ‘someone’ – our markets – to better design our products and services for them. Whether it […]
The Personal Inventory Method
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at cense.ca. What’s important to you? It might sound simple, but when we engage in service design the way we ask that question will shape the answers we get. Keeping with a design-inspired ethos of ‘show, don’t tell’ the Personal Inventory method is a simple […]