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Well, it’s that time of year again … no, not another disappointing ‘barbeque’ summer, but the annual UKES Conference | ||||||||||||||||
| With the effects of the financial crisis still being felt, and with a new coalition government in Number 10, many evaluators find themselves operating in a very different policy environment. In particular the rhetoric has changed from tackling the crisis (a central theme of last year’s conference looking at impact) to talk of austerity and cutting back the public sector, a major source of sponsorship for evaluation. While this environment offers tough challenges, it also presents opportunities – in particular in the development and promotion of new evaluation methodologies, relationships and approaches. More than ever there will be a need to assess what is of value, what has quality and in what circumstances evaluation can contribute to informed policy – making and debate. |
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keynote speakers |
Michael Blastland Journalist (BBC Radio 4’s More or Less; the Guardian) and Co-author of ‘The Numbers Game’ with Andrew Dilnot. Professor Mark Hart Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship in the Economics and Strategy Group, Aston Business School. Dr Jenny Hughes working half time for Pontydysgu on R&D into e-learning and delivering teacher training, half time as freelance evaluator of education aid programmes. Author of 'Project Managers' Guide to Evaluation'. Professor Stephen Roper Director of the Centre for SMEs (CSME) and Professor of Enterprise, Warwick Business School Professor Saville Kushner AcSS Professor of Public Evaluation, Director of the Unit for Evaluation and Public Value, University of West of England (UWE) and incoming UKES President |
The themes of this year's conference therefore revolve around the added value which evaluation brings to the policy process and how these benefits can be maximised; the ongoing development and future of how evaluation is conducted; and the circumstances in which evaluation can effectively and efficiently demonstrate value for money |
Format of Conference | |
What do the following companies have in common: Tesco; Microsoft; Dyson; Hewlett Packard; and Wikipedia? They all started in an economic downturn. The current tough times can provide an opportunity for evaluators – singly or collaboratively - to show the value they bring to projects (indicating what works, and where quality is to be found). In addition, what about those programmes intervening with the most vulnerable members of society? How will the current downsizing of the public sector affect the charity, voluntary and non-for-profit sectors? The themes of this year’s conference therefore revolve around the added value which evaluation brings to the policy process and how these benefits can be maximised; the ongoing development and future of how evaluation is conducted; and the circumstances in which evaluation can effectively and efficiently demonstrate value for money. The call for presentations and workshops reflected these themes under the following headings: |
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| Theme 1: Innovative and collaborative evaluation methods | ||
| With the new challenges faced by evaluators, there is a need to tailor our evaluation methods and approaches to ensure that we help people think through tough dilemmas in a cost effective but fair-to-all way. What new evaluation approaches are currently being used and how does the changed context affect relationships in evaluation? What new methodological responses appear to be showing promise and could be taken up more widely (e.g. Social Return on Investment [SROI])? How are the public and third sectors using technology to innovate in evaluation, for example developments in systems thinking? Is collaboration becoming more necessary? But how do you make this work effectively while retaining, where appropriate, the independence of evaluation? How, in this new context, do evaluators construct and negotiate their agendas? | ||
| Theme 2: Methodological challenges due to reduced budgets | ||
| How is the new austerity from government affecting the agendas of evaluation? Is evaluation a part of the ‘tough decision making’? How does evaluation respond to this concern with ‘fairness’? Are commissioners asking for different information from evaluations? Are evaluators being asked to do more for less? How have you adapted your methods to reflect this changing context? | ||
| Theme 3: Better utilisation of currently existing data sets and sources | ||
| In the vast majority of cases collecting primary data is the most costly aspect of any evaluation. Yet there is a huge amount of data which is collected as standard outside of the evaluation process – how do evaluators use secondary sources more effectively but still stay grounded in the real experience of social programmes? What are the challenges (theoretically, methodically and practically) in accessing and using secondary sources? | ||
| Theme 4: The role of the ‘professional’ evaluator | ||
| With the role of the evaluator changing, it is important that the UKES seize this opportunity to further highlight and emphasise the skills and competencies needed to undertake good evaluation. How can UKES help drive professional practice and standards? What about self-evaluation? With resources for external evaluation coming under increased scrutiny, is there a role for the UKES to lead on teaching organisations how to evaluate themselves? Yet, what are the pitfalls and safeguards of self-evaluation? What are the new ethical and data protection issues facing evaluators? What are the issues for training, professional development and good practice guidance? | ||
The call for abstracts has received an excellent response and is now closed. The detailed programme for the conference is currently being compiled and will be available shortly |
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