Chris L. S. CorynWestern Michigan University

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation

Evaluator Competency

Just Because You Have a Library Card Doesn’t Make You Yoda

Kia ora…and special acknowledgments to…

Kate McKegg, E. Jane Davidson, my students, the conference organizing committee, & attendees…

it is an honor and privilege to have this opportunity

An abbreviated life history…that has significantly influenced my world view and evaluation practice

Bad is bad and good is good and it is the job of evaluators to decide which is which”

— Michael Scriven

“

Current influences…

Other influences…

Davidson

Cook

Shadish

Patton

Cronbach

Stufflebeam

Chelimsky

Hattie

Competency…

in most cultural and contextual environments

knowledge, skills, abilities, traits, & other characteristics needed to conduct high quality evaluation…

A note of explanation…

others are ‘worker’-oriented

some competencies are ‘work’-oriented…

Technical competencies…

others often matter more

really, really matter…

Why?‘wheat from the chaff’

As mentioned by Kushner yesterday…

and the requisite competencies are daunting

the demands placed on evaluators continue to expand…

The umbrella…

theory, method, & practice

Theoretically knowledgeable…

roots, history, & approaches

Methodologically knowledgeable…

quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, & evaluation-specific

One ‘tool’ is usually insufficient…

Use-oriented…

maximize appropriate use

Modest…

do not pretend to be ‘all knowing’

recognize the limits of knowledge claims…

Benevolent…

not self-serving

well-meaning…

Virtuous…

culturally appropriate

adhere to ethical and moral principles…

Able to impart information…

verbal, nonverbal, formal, & informal

tailored to audience…

Proactive…

act in advance

foresee potential problems…

Maximize cost-benefit…

using available resources

through project management…

Tolerance for ambiguity…

able to respond to uncertainty

Quick-thinking…

act on one’s ‘feet’

Able to provide the ‘bottom line’…

rather than a Rorschach test

Thick-skinned…able to accept criticism

and respond appropriately

The ‘library card’…

having a library card does not one make a good evaluator…”

“

— Yoda (as paraphrased by Chris Coryn)

In conclusion…

nontechnical traits not duly considered in most

taxonomies

Stevahn et al. — and others — fail to account for several important attributes of ‘high quality’ evaluators…

Thank You for Listening!