developmental evaluation on the ground
TRANSCRIPT
Developmental Evaluation on the
Ground
Brigitte Scott, Ph.D.
Evaluation and Research Specialist
Military Families Learning Network
Military Families Learning Network
Personal Finance
Child Care
Family Advocacy
Network Literacy
Personal Finance
Family Development
Network Literacy
Community Capacity
Building
Nutrition & Wellness
Transition Support
Early Intervention
Special Needs
Life Span Special
Needs
Military Caregiving
MQP: DE Defined
“DE supports innovation development to guide
adaptation to emergent and dynamic realities in
complex environments.” —MQP, p. 1
Goal: support project, program, product, and/or
organizational development with timely
feedback
MQP: Core DE Question
What is getting developed and what are the
implications of what gets developed?
Complexity theory of change:
Bring people together who are knowledgeable and
committed and they will self-organize, take
action, and work together to create movement,
innovation, and change.
MQP: Key Characteristics of DE
Focus on development
Focus on developmentMQP
• NOT the same as continuous improvement (formative eval or accountability)
– Quality improvement is helping programs meet standards that have been set.
Development is when people are changing what they are doing, and the very nature of the standards are also changing. Standards are adapting to changing conditions.
Complex and dynamic environment
Complex and dynamic environmentMQP
Complex environment = lack of
central control
What to do to solve problems is
uncertain and there can be conflict
about how to proceed
Real time feedback
DE becomes part of intervention
Developmental Evaluator
Developmental EvaluatorMQP
• Works collaboratively with innovators to
conceptualize, design, and test new approaches
in a long-term, on-going process of adaptation,
intentional change, and development.
• Ask eval questions
• Apply eval logic
• Gather and report eval data
Developmental EvaluatorMQP
Primary Functions:
Elucidate the innovation and adaptation
processes
Track implications and results
Facilitate data-based decision-making
“There are no best practices. ‘Best’ is
entirely context-free.”—MQP, AEA 2014
Evaluation for MFLN
• Ongoing development
• Innovation in learning
– Internal practice
– External product
DE for MFLN: Why It Fits
Program development
Cooperative agreement environment
+
eXtension Initiative
Cooperative Agreement
“An opportunity to provide responsive and timely educational programming through being actively nimble, flexible, innovative, and creative in true partnership with our funders as they identify organizational priorities and ask us to engage in the construction of appropriate and necessary deliverables that meet the on-time needs of the target audience. The MFLN and funding partners are seen as true and honest equals in expertise, providing valued and accepted feedback bi-directionally. This often results in surpassing expectations for success in delivery.”
—Kyle Kostelecky, National Program Director, MFLN
Constant evaluative feedback
Constant evaluative feedback and
discussion
• Monthly reports (internal, DoD)
• Quarterly reports (NIFA)
• Annual reports (internal, DoD, NIFA)
• Webinar evaluation reports
• Quarterly webinar reports
• Weekly leadership team meetings
• Social Media Specialists meetings
• Net Lit support meetings
Evaluation used for decision-making
Evaluator is on leadership team
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptation
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptationSocial, political, economic, technological, and demographic
patterns
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptationSocial, political, economic, technological, and demographic
patterns
Emergent developments/needs of our target audiences
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptationSocial, political, economic, technological, and demographic
patterns
Emergent developments/needs of our target audiences
Cooperative agreement environment
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptationSocial, political, economic, technological, and demographic
patterns
Emergent developments/needs of our target audiences
Cooperative agreement environment
eXtension
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Continuous adaptationSocial, political, economic, technological, and demographic
patterns
Emergent developments/needs of our target audiences
Cooperative agreement environment
eXtension
DoD
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
(not this. . . .)
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
(but this. . . .)
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Inductive
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
InductiveChaotic and messy
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
InductiveChaotic and messy
Embrace forks in the road
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
InductiveChaotic and messy
Embrace forks in the road
Developmental moments
Track what’s going on
Understand what’s going on
Adapt to what’s going on
DE for MFLN: What It Looks Like
Everyone is an
evaluator
Inspired by Jeff Conklin, cognexus.org
Time
Complex development situations are ones in which this…
39Michael Quinn Patton
AEA eStudy webinar 2014
Michael Quinn Patton
AEA eStudy webinar 201440
And this…
Turns out to be this…
Time41
Michael Quinn Patton
AEA eStudy webinar 2014
Michael Quinn Patton
AEA eStudy webinar 201442
…looks like this
DE Successes for MFLN
DE Successes for MFLN
• Very responsive to our partners’ programmatic
requests and innovations
DE Successes for MFLN
• Very responsive to our partners’ programmatic
requests and innovations
• Doubling in size in 2015 with competitive award
– New CAs and new opportunities for innovation in
programming
DE Successes for MFLN
• Very responsive to our partners’ programmatic
requests and innovations
• Doubling in size in 2015 with competitive award
– New CAs and new opportunities for innovation in
programming
• Programming
DE Successes for MFLN
• Very responsive to our partners’ programmatic requests and innovations
• Doubling in size in 2015 with competitive award
– New CAs and new opportunities for innovation in programming
• Programming
• “Walk the talk”: model use of social media, collaborative learning, personal learning networks
DE Challenges for MFLN
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
• “In your face” evaluation
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
• “In your face” evaluation
• Daily, evaluative thinking
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
• “In your face” evaluation
• Daily, evaluative thinking
• Platform delivery limitations
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
• “In your face” evaluation
• Daily, evaluative thinking
• Platform delivery limitations
• Military culture
DE Challenges for MFLN
• Innovation is challenging, slow, and . . . contentious
• Moving from program improvement mode to redesign
based on evaluation findings
• IRB challenges
• “In your face” evaluation
• Daily, evaluative thinking
• Platform delivery limitations
• Military culture
• Doubling in size in January 2015
DE Features for MFLN
• Reports
• Leadership
• Reflective discussion groups
• Transparency
• Collaboration
DE Features for MFLN
Patton, Michael Quinn. (2014).
“Intermediate Developmental Evaluation.”
AEA eStudy Webinar.
Patton, Michael Quinn. (2011). Developmental
Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to
Enhance Innovation and Use. Guilford: New
York.
Brigitte Scott
@4ed_eval
www.blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies
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