Just like everyone else, the evaluation community had to rethink and reconfigure its practices and processes during the pandemic. The Evaluation Showcase of the The Midlands Regional Network of the UK Evaluation Society was a welcome opportunity to reflect and share best practices and pain points amongst peers.
Ahead of the session, six showcases were submitted by regional evaluators on the topic of ‘Evaluation in the context of a pandemic”. Michelle Hollier and Paul Woodcraft of Winning Moves shared their experience of evaluating two skills programmes amongst the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
In addition to the showcases, the session consisted of two lively panel debates:
1: Reflecting Backwards on the challenges the pandemic created for evaluations that were live as lockdown measures were introduced, the actions taken in response and lessons learnt.
2: Reflecting Forward on the implications of the ongoing pandemic for the evaluation community, and how evaluators are responding to the ongoing challenges and uncertainties.
Karl King, our Director of Service Development, who was involved in the design and delivery of the event, said: “The Midlands Evaluation Showcase and panel discussions were a great opportunity to hear from some of the leading evaluators in our region, and how they have been responding to the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. I’d like to thank everyone involved for taking the time to share their experiences, and for making it a success.”