Join CEA virtually on zoom on June 14th at 6:30 pm!
Title:
The Pedagogy of Evaluation: A participatory, action-oriented, and democratic approach to evaluation.
Event Description:
The pedagogy of evaluation is a principles-focused evaluation approach that helps navigate work beyond the theory of change. Working with the community does not end with a final deliverable, instead, it needs to move forward and create change. How do we generate change with the community? Where do we stand, and how do we move forward? Is it participatory and democratic? These are some of the questions the pedagogy of evaluation gets at. Moving beyond identifying the needs of a group, the pedagogy of evaluation is a community-based and action-oriented strategy. Developing critical consciousness entails discovering the world through the eyes of the community members with the community members. Based on Paulo Freire's popular education, the pedagogy of evaluation wants to blur the line between participants and evaluators by giving participants ownership of the research process. Freire's dialogical process of breaking with education and discovering the world with the community has the end of critiquing power structures and building consensus for further action. Freire emphasized the integration of reflection and action in the process of liberation. In our session, you will learn about the fundamental principles of the pedagogy of evaluation and how to develop generative themes to create dialogue amongst stakeholders in a participatory and democratic manner.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Emely Medina-Rodriguez, Ph.D. holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and a master's degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Medina-Rodriguez has been trained in evaluation, policy, and leadership, emphasizing higher education institutions. Her college accessibility research and evaluation experience span from her early years as an undergraduate research assistant to her dissertation work on the experiences of minoritized Latina student mothers in higher education institutions. Trained in Culturally Responsive Evaluation by the American Evaluation Association, she has applied her qualitative and quantitative research knowledge in different settings such as schools, school districts, universities, non-profit organizations, and foundations. Among her methodological expertise is ethnographic and youth participatory action research. Dr. Medina-Rodriguez has worked with Chicago's communities of color and Spanish speakers for the last seven years. Her involvement with the community as an activist informs her democratic and participatory approach to evaluation. Emely's commitment to working-class communities and underrepresented students shines through her work with Puerto Rico and Chicago communities. Dr. Medina-Rodriguez sees ethical and quality research and evaluation as a duty to the communities she works. Her interests lie in equity, inclusion, diversity, evaluation theory, comparative education, and college accessibility.
