Canadian Evaluation Society Project in Support of Advocacy and Professional Development

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Background

The Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) plans to focus on two key areas in the upcoming years:

• the professional development of its members, and
• advocacy on behalf of the evaluation function.

The articulation of a Core Body of Knowledge (CBK) will guide the Society's professional development and advocacy activities. The CBK comprises theories, skills, and best practices that people must possess to plan, carry, out, and report on valid and reliable evaluations of programs or policies in governments, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses.

Why are we doing this?

This project is an exciting step forward for program evaluation in Canada. Having a CBK will help define what program evaluation is: it is necessary to have a CBK before program evaluation can be considered a profession. Furthermore, people who conduct evaluation will be able to use the CBK as a guide for self-assessment and professional development.

The results of the study will help us demonstrate why program evaluation is useful, and will therefore serve as a foundation for advocacy. They will also help individual evaluators describe what they do to their colleagues, supervisors, and clients - and explain why it is important.

Back to the Home Page