Unlocking Collective Expertise: Using Collaborative Evaluation Process to Strengthen Evaluation Capacity of Clients and Partners

Abstract Information: Collaborative evaluation facilitates an active and continuous partnership between program staff and evaluators, thereby leading to practical and valuable evaluation plans that enable better data gathering, analysis, and results that are understandable and useful to stakeholders. Central to this collaborative discourse is the notion that program staff, stakeholders, and partners are incredible sources of knowledge and expertise that can enhance evaluation design, planning, and outcomes. Further, leveraging this knowledge in collaboration with professional evaluators can bolster evaluative capacities. However, establishing and navigating the hurdles of creating an environment that facilitates collaborative evaluation processes can be challenging. This is particularly true for STEM programming, which is characterized by technical and interdisciplinary complexity, rapid innovation, and changes in the field, as well as the challenge of balance between practical versus conceptual understanding of the program content. In this presentation, I will describe our Center’s model of collaborative evaluation. I will use our partnership with the NASA Space Grant Consortium as a case in point. The presentation will outline best practices for co-developing evaluation plans and tools, facilitating data analysis workshops, and fostering participatory reporting, as well as reflecting on lessons learned and recommendations for enabling stakeholder collaboration and successful program evaluation. Through this session, I aim to share how evaluators can leverage the collective wisdom of program staff to foster sustained program impacts and ensure their diverse voices are central in the evaluation decision-making process.