PODCAST · science
Eval Cafe
by Carolyn Camman & Brian Hoessler
Welcome to Eval Cafe! Join co-hosts Carolyn Camman and Brian Hoessler for informal chats on evaluation-related topics – the kind you might overhear at your favourite coffeeshop, if it was frequented by evaluators. Expert or novice, long-time practitioner or just starting in the field, or even if you don’t identify with the term “evaluator” – so long as you have an interest in evaluation, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
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Episode 36: We're Ba~aack!
Episode Notes Did you miss us, listeners? Your erstwhile podcast hosts are back in the saddle! Or back on the bicycle? Whatever metaphor we eventually landed on, this is our first published episode in over two years! A little rusty, but we're pretty sure being a little unpolished is part of our...
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Episode 35: Evaluation in Uncertainty - Learning to Think and Act at the Same Time
Double the Carolyn’s, double the depth of conversation! We’re joined this week by Carolyn Hoessler, facilitator, curriculum developer, evaluator, and Founder of Higher Education and Beyond. After a brief chat on evaluation in higher education contexts, we dive into the topics of sense-making and...
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Episode 34: Episode 34: Evaluators as Agents of Change
On this week's episode, we're joined by Khalil Bitar, chair of the EvalYouth Global Network for a wide-ranging conversation. We touch on the trends we're seeing with young and emerging evaluators, why we should consider contrarian opinions, the value of evaluative thinking, and how we can work in...
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Episode 33: Episode 33: Eval Cafe Check-in
In this episode, we’ve invited listeners from across the globe to join us in checking in, connecting, and being human with each other as we respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you to Ann, Jade, Cameron, Zach, Carolyn H., Shelby, Tom, Sarah, Libby, Kelly, Naomi, Trilby, Megan, Chris, Khalil, and...
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Episode 32: Episode 32: Evaluation Games With Friends
In this episode of Eval Cafe (one of only two places where evaluators really get crunk, according to guest Andy Johnson, with the other being the Diversity TiG social at the annual AEA conference), come hang out with our super panel of returning guests—Andy Johnson and Nora Murphy Johnson…
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Episode 31: Episode 31: Another Year Bolder
Brian and Carolyn dive into the year 2020 with a characteristically reflective episode where we review the highs and lows of 2019 and our ambitions and intentions for the year ahead. From Brian’s “tripped on a skateboard, slipped on a banana peel, did a triple lutz, and somehow stuck the landing”...
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Episode 30: Episode 30: Reflective and Generative: Our Experiences at AEA 2019
Carolyn and Brian attended AEA 2019, and reflecting, learning, connecting, and hilarity ensued! Especially when they realized that they almost forgot how to properly record a podcast (on that note, sorry about Brian's poor audio quality). Topics covered include conference rooming as a means for...
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Episode 29: Episode 29: Reconceptualizing Leadership (as Evaluators)
Kelly Hannum joins Carolyn and Brian this episode to talk about leadership and its connection to evaluation. After defining what “leadership” actually means (spoiler: it involves direction, alignment, and commitment), we discuss evaluation’s power to question the premise, the transformational…
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Episode 28: Episode 28: This Episode Brought to You by R
David Keyes joins Carolyn and Brian to talk about R - the open-source statistical package, that is, not the letter (or the pirate vocalization). Once we got past Brian’s bad pun, we discussed the benefits of using code, how to get started with R, and using the software to help communicate…
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Episode 27: From Toolbox to Toy Box
This episode brings the evaluation joy with the blue-collar scholar and aspiring academic stand-up comedian, Dr. Nicole Bowman, of [Bowman Performance Consulting] (https://bpcwi.com/). Nicky joins us to talk about evaluation as medicine and how we can heal ourselves, our communities, and our…
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Episode 26 - Being Human Together
We’ve mentioned it in passing in multiple episodes, but today we go into a deep dive on the Evaluation for Social Change and Transformational Learning program (course? certificate?) offered through Simon Fraser University. Joining us in this conversation are Kim van der Woerd (also our first…
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Episode 25: Makin' It in Evaluation
Grab your favourite art supplies and summon up your creative muse! In this episode, we're joined by Andy Johnson, the other co-founder of Creative Evaluation & Engagement (along with his wife, Nora Murphy Johnson, who joined us a few episodes back to talk about evaluating from the heart) to talk...
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Episode 24: Focusing on Principles with MQP
In this episode, Carolyn and Brian are joined by Michael Quinn Patton for a deep dive into principles-focused evaluation (PFE). Despite some technical glitches en route, we persisted to discuss the relation of PFE to social innovation, examples of how principles are being used, the role of...
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Episode 23: Spirals Within Spirals
Rita Fierro (of Fierro Consulting LLC and DrRitaWrites.com), a multifaceted practitioner of evaluation and facilitation, joins Brian and Carolyn on a deep exploration of the fractal nature of social transformation, trauma and healing, and how our evaluation practices can weave through these…
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Episode 22 - Profound Meanderings
In theory, this episode was a chance for us to review how we’re doing with our intentions for 2019. And we get there, we promise! En route, we discuss routines and systems, what comes after March Madness, Carolyn’s inability to unsubscribe from email lists, Brian’s allergic reaction to the SMART...
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Episode 21 - Evaluating From The Heart
Episode Notes In this episode, we’re joined by Nora Murphy Johnson, co-founder of Creative Evaluation, which focuses on evaluation for truth, beauty, and justice. In a conversation about evaluation for healing and change, evaluation as sacred work and a noble calling, Nora tells us about the...
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Episode 20: Evaluator Journeys - A constant state of ‘Now what do I do?’
Carolyn and Brian are joined this week by former-Saskatonian-now-Haligonian Evan Poncelet to talk about journeys through the field of evaluation. Topics of discussion include DIY bricolage approaches to ongoing learning, whether Evan is REAL, experiences with awkwardly-worded emails, and the…
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Episode 19: We've Only Just Begun
Episode Notes Kick things off right with Brian and Carolyn as we tackle one of the most deep and profound philosophical questions facing the field of evaluation—how do you even start one of these things!? Where do you begin with evaluation? What does it take to unravel the story behind the...
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Episode 18: What's in the Mystery Box?
Episode Notes In this episode, we welcome our first guest FROM THE FUTURE (by which we mean Australia), Jade Maloney, of ARTD Consultants (https://artd.com.au/). Jade helps us “unbox” the theme of the upcoming Australian Evaluation Society 2019 conference, “Evaluation Un-boxed”. Join us as we...
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Episode 17: Every Year I'm Conferencing
Episode Notes Carolyn and Brian are joined in this episode by Dr. Michael Harnar to talk conferences. Listen as we talk about what we enjoy about these regular meetups, our strategies for avoiding both conference burnout and FOMO, improvements we’d like to see in how they’re held, and our…
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Episode 16: Nobody Said It Was Easy - Where Evaluation and Facilitation Collide
Episode Notes Carolyn and Brian are joined by special guest Chris Corrigan (http://www.chriscorrigan.com/) to talk about the intersections and interconnections of evaluation and facilitation. Are they warring factions? Soulmates in complexity? Can we "recover learning from the trauma of being...
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Episode 15: Collective Eval Cafe Head
Episode Notes Happy New Year! To kick off 2019, Carolyn and Brian take a look backwards and forward - tune in to hear how they did with 2018’s directions and their plans for the coming 12 months! Conversation topics include community development, creativity and arts-based approaches, the...
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Episode 14: A Principles-Focused Episode
Episode Notes Join Brian, Carolyn, and special guest Kim van der Woerd (Reciprocal Consulting) as we wander into the complex and intriguing world of principles-focused evaluation. Will our paradigms be shifted? Will our hearts be centered? Will we remember all the stuff that Michael Quinn Patton...
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Ep 13: This Could Be the Start of Something: Client Relationships and Evaluation
Episode Notes You definitely want to swipe right on this episode to hear Carolyn and Brian talk about client relationships! We discuss looking beyond the dating profile, deciding what questions to ask right at the get-go, handling the inevitable relationship woes, and deciding when to rekindle…
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Episode 12: EvalCafe Goes Back To School!
Carolyn and Brian are back in the Eval Cafe and ready for a brand new school-year that’s just “chalk” full of learning! Pull up a desk, get out your binders and cahiers, and be prepared to take notes because this will be on the final exam. What’s Brian’s ultimate whiteboard hack? How does Carolyn...
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Episode 11: A Co-Created Conversation
Carolyn and Brian pack their bags (and more importantly their podcasting gear) and meet up in Calgary for the Canadian Evaluation Society’s annual conference! This episode, recorded as a Thematic Breakfast Roundtable, features five attendees who joined our intrepid hosts at a wholly-unreasonable...
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Episode 10: Songs in the Key of E(val)
Sarah Farina of Broadleaf Consulting joins Carolyn and Brian this week to talk about music and how it connects with our work as evaluators. Which one of us is “a big nerd for classical music”? How lucky is Carolyn at Random Karaoke? What two songs have scarred Brian and Carolyn for life? And most...
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Episode 9: 2018: An Evaluation Odyssey
In the first episode of 2018, Brian and Carolyn kick off the new year with some retrospective musings and a bit of peering off into the horizon with goals, directions, and personal challenges for the year ahead. We cover a little of everything in what may be a preview of podcast content to...
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Episode 8: #Eval - The Twittering
Brush off your hashtags and practice condensing your thoughts to 140 characters (or is that 280 now?), as Carolyn and Brian are joined by fellow evaluation consultant Dana Wanzer to talk Twitter. We chat about how we’ve used the platform to build community, our stand-out moments on Twitter, and…
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Episode 7: "Damn it, Jim, I'm an evaluator!" Lessons from the Trekiverse
Open hailing frequencies and get your warp engines online, it's our nerdiest episode yet! We're joined by Kylie Hutchinson, principal consultant for Community Solutions Planning & Evaluation, to talk about the lessons that evaluators can take from the Star Trek universe. From the Original Series…
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Episode 6: Let's Get Ethical!
Join Brian and Carolyn in welcoming our first podcast special guest, Don Flaming, Manager of ARECCI (A pRoject Ethics Community Consensus Initiative) for Alberta Innovates! In this episode, we delve into the BIG questions. Do we need REBs to be ethical? What's the difference between research and...
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Episode 5: Under Pressure - Evaluator Self-Care
Continuing on our October theme - what fears lie in the hearts of evaluators and how do we take the pressure off? Brian and Carolyn discuss the benefits of practicing mindfulness, saying no, and both connecting with and taking time away from other people. Start up the bubble bath and dig out your...
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Episode 4: (Don't Fear) The Evaluator
Grab your monster masks and a bag of candy, we're kicking off October with our scariest topic yet: the fear of evaluation! So what does evaluation have to do with quicksand and evil twins? How can evaluators be like the worst Batman ever? Will Brian and Carolyn manage to reference Michael Quinn...
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Episode 3: Resident Eval - Apocalypse
Brian and Carolyn fill their knapsacks with useful evaluation resources (physical and intangible) in this instalment of Eval Cafe. What evaluation tools would be useful in a post-apocalyptic society? How many evaluators could you fit on a desert island? Are drinking games a useful tool for...
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Episode 2: Engage!
Brian and Carolyn get participatory! In this episode, we talk about the hows and whys of getting stakeholders engaged in the evaluation process. Questions include: Whose participation are we getting? How do we design for participation? Have either of us really done 'participatory evaluation'?…
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Episode 1: The Phantom Profession
Brian and Carolyn kick off our first evaluation podcast by exploring the apropos topic: how do we introduce ourselves as evaluators and explain what we do to others? We talk about the pains of being an invisible profession, share our successes, and discuss some interesting suggestions from the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Eval Cafe! Join co-hosts Carolyn Camman and Brian Hoessler for informal chats on evaluation-related topics – the kind you might overhear at your favourite coffeeshop, if it was frequented by evaluators. Expert or novice, long-time practitioner or just starting in the field, or even if you don’t identify with the term “evaluator” – so long as you have an interest in evaluation, this podcast is for you.
HOSTED BY
Carolyn Camman & Brian Hoessler
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Eval Cafe have?
Eval Cafe currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Eval Cafe about?
Welcome to Eval Cafe! Join co-hosts Carolyn Camman and Brian Hoessler for informal chats on evaluation-related topics – the kind you might overhear at your favourite coffeeshop, if it was frequented by evaluators. Expert or novice, long-time practitioner or just starting in the field, or even if...
How often does Eval Cafe release new episodes?
Eval Cafe has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Eval Cafe?
You can listen to Eval Cafe on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Eval Cafe?
Eval Cafe is created and hosted by Carolyn Camman & Brian Hoessler.
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