Evaluative Thinking: Understanding and Applying the Foundations of Evaluation

How does one “think like an evaluator”? How can program implementers learn to think like evaluators? Recent years have witnessed an increased use of the term “evaluative thinking,” yet this particular way of thinking, reflecting, and reasoning is not always well understood. To help remedy that, this webinar will address: (1) What evaluative thinking (ET) is; (2) How it pertains to your context; and (3) How to promote and strengthen ET at individual and organizational levels. In particular, this session will explore how ET can be framed both as a fundamental philosophical concept at the heart of evaluation and as an approach to evaluation capacity building designed to unleash the power of inquiry within programs and organizations, in service of learning and adaptive management.

Presenter:
Thomas Archibald is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech, where he also directs the Feed the Future Senegal Youth in Agriculture project. A winner of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society and is an Associate Editor of the journal Evaluation and Program Planning. He received his PhD in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University in 2013.