aes24 International Evaluation Conference

Authors: John Guenther (Batchelor Institute Of Indigenous Tertiary Education), Anthea Rutter (University of Melbourne, AU), Yvonne Zurynski (Macquarie Univesity, AU)

The Evaluation Journal of Australasia (EJA) supports evaluators who wish to share their knowledge and practical experiences in a peer-reviewed article. Documenting evidence, including for programs which do not achieve expected results, is critical for improving evaluation practice, building the evidence base, and advancing evaluation methodologies that are rigorous and ethical.

The EJA depends on volunteer reviewers who can offer critical feedback on articles that are submitted. Reviewers help to improve the quality of manuscripts the Journal receives.

The focus of this presentation is on how to write a good review: how to be academically critical, while at the same time providing constructive feedback that will benefit authors and readers. The presenters will offer step-by-step advice on what to look for, how to judge the quality of a manuscript, and how to make constructive suggestions for authors to consider.

The presentation will also explain how reviewing fits within the publication process, from submission to production. It will be most helpful to potential authors and current and potential reviewers. Authors will learn how to prepare their articles so they receive a favourable review, and reviewers will receive clear guidance on presenting their review feedback to authors.

Authors: Caitlin Barry (Y Victoria), Eugene Liston (Clear Horizon Consulting, AU)

The demand for organisations to measure impact seems to be ever increasing. However, impact measurement looks different depending on what level you are measuring it (program level, organisation-wide, ecosystem level etc). While a lot of organisations focus on measuring social impact at a program level, what appears to be less commonly achieved is the jump to effective measurement of impact at an organisation-wide level.

The literature providing guidance on how to implement org-wide social impact measurement makes it seem so straight-forward, like a Roman highway - all straight lines. But what is it really like in practice? How does it differ from program-level impact measurement? How can it be done? What resources does it take? And, what are the pitfalls?

The Y Victoria has spent the last three years on a journey to embed org-wide social impact measurement under the guidance of our evaluation partner. The Y Victoria is a large and diverse organisation covering 7 different sectors/service lines; over 5,500 staff; over 180 centres; and delivering services to all ages of the community. This presented quite a challenge for measuring organisation-wide impact in a meaningful way.

While the journey wasn't 'straight-forward', we've learnt a lot from navigating through it. This presentation will discuss the approach taken, tell the story of the challenges faced, trade-offs, lessons learnt (both from the client and consultant's perspective), and how we have adapted along the way.

Authors: Milena Gongora (Great Barrier Reef Foundation)

Best practice in evaluation encompasses a crucial step of learning, yet it often receives inadequate emphasis, particularly within government-funded initiatives. Our paper documents the journey of transforming a top-down, prescriptive evaluation process within a government-funded program into an inclusive, consultative approach aligned with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) principles.

Funded by Australian Government, and managed by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Reef Trust Partnership (RTP) launched in 2018 aiming to enhance the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef. Within it, a $200 million portfolio aims to improve water quality working with the agricultural industry. A framework for impact evaluation was developed in its early days. Whilst appropriate, due to the need to comply with broader government requirements, it was top-down in nature.

Four years into implementation, the Foundation was ready to synthesise, interpret and report on the program's impact. The Foundation could have simply reported "up" to government. However, we acknowledged that in doing so, we risked missing critical context, simplifying findings, misinterpreting information and presenting yet another tokenistic meaningless report.

Interested in doing things better, we instead circled back with our stakeholders in a participatory reflection process. Through a series of carefully planned workshops, we invited on-ground program practitioners to ground-truth our findings, share contextual nuances, and collectively strategise for future improvements.

Despite initial reservations, participants embraced the opportunity, fostering an atmosphere of open dialogue and knowledge exchange. This reflective process not only enriched our understanding of program impact but also enhanced collaboration, strengthening overall program outcomes.

Our experience highlights the importance of transcending tokenistic evaluation practices, particularly in environments where top-down directives prevail. Participatory approaches can be implemented at any scale, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and strategic learning, ultimately enhancing the impact and relevance of evaluation efforts.

Authors: Charlie TULLOCH (Policy Performance)

Evaluation logic modelling is a frequently used technique, looking at such things as inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes.
Since the early 2000s, the Department of Treasury and Finance (Victoria) has used an adapted logic modelling format called Investment Logic Mapping (ILM). It is now used nation-wide and internationally to support resource allocation planning, along with stakeholder engagement.

ILMs and evaluation logic modelling have many similarities, but some major differences.

This ignite presentation will compare and contrast both these tools, and describe when and why to use each.

Attendees will very quickly understand the main similarities and differences, their advantages and drawbacks.

Authors: Gina Mancuso (Drummond Street Services), Arielle Donnelly (Drummond Street Services, AU)

LGBTIQA+ young people experience discrimination and marginalisation which contribute to poorer mental and physical health outcomes, compared to the general population. QHub is an initiative that creates safe spaces, offers mental health and well-being services, and provides outreach tailored for LGBTIQA+ young people in Western Victoria and the Surf Coast. QHub provides LGBTIQA+ young people and their families/carers with welcoming, inclusive and integrated support, as well as opportunities to connect with peers and older role models. This presentation will outline how the collection and selection of stories of change (Most Significant Change) is helping us evaluate the impact of QHub.

Authors: Anabelle (Pin-Ju) Chen (NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure)

Introducing Program Evaluation Fundamentals (PEF) in the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, an eLearning course designed to facilitate a coherent journey of learning within the department. With learning and adapting together in mind, the design of PEF empowers individuals at all levels to navigate the fundamentals of evaluation. Through interactive modules, learners will understand key evaluation concepts and cultivate best practices. PEF promotes transformative growth by emphasising foundational evaluation knowledge. By leveraging PEF, we can shift our approach, embrace innovation, and advance the field of evaluation across the public sector, fostering a supportive community of forward-thinking evaluators.

Authors: Samantha Abbato (Visual Insights People)

Values guide all evaluation processes, methods and judgements. Although evaluators are often not aware of the values shaping their work and can't readily name them, they know when we are straying off their values path through the experience of conflict or unease. Reflecting on the evaluation literature and two decades of evaluation practice using a 'values' perspective, it is argued that there has never been a more important time to build values literacy. This presentation demonstrates how values literacy can guide conversations with yourself, your team and others and provide signposting and illumination of a more rigorous and ethical evaluation journey.

Authors: Josh Duyker (Centre for Evaluation and Research Evidence, Victorian Department of Health)

Much like Felix the Cat, evaluators have a bag of tricks to get us out of sticky situations. But when you are staring face to face with a complex evaluand, juggling tricky stakeholders whist sat on a mountain of data, it's not always clear what 'trick' you need! One twisted potential solution is the colourful, yet humble rubric. In this reflective practice ignite presentation, I will guide you through our journey of using rubrics as a tool to way find through an evaluation, and our key takeaways in how rubrics can support evaluators to make comprehensive and balanced evaluative judgements.

Authors: Skye Trudgett (Kowa ),Sharmay Brierley (Kowa, AU)

This ignite presentation will delve into the pioneering evaluation within the education sector, where a series of education initiatives were designed and implemented by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO's) and mainstream Education partners to uplift and support young First Nations peoples. We will uncover how the initiative's evaluation framework was revolutionarily constructed with First Nations communities at its heart, applying the reimagining evaluation framework, utilising diverse data collection methods and producing Community Reports that reflect First Nations experiences and voices.

Attendees will be guided through the evaluative journey, showcasing the incorporation of wisdom to demonstrate the profound value of community-delivered initiatives that contribute to change. The session will highlight the success stories and learnings, emphasising how this approach not only benefits the current generation but also lays the groundwork for the prosperity of future generations.