How does teaching with cases support the development of evaluation competencies?

Abstract

Evaluation competency frameworks identify the skills and knowledge required for the professional practice of evaluation. These competency frameworks are used, among other purposes, to craft evaluation training programs, courses, and activities. To date, the link between case-centered teaching and learning and the development of evaluation competencies has not been explored systematically. Our study sought to focus on this link through an exploratory survey of evaluation instructors. Our findings reveal that evaluation instructors recognize the potential of case-centered teaching in supporting the development of evaluation competencies and that they use cases towards competency development. However, some challenges remain, such as the accessibility and adaptability of cases to particular competency domains and instructional contexts.Evaluators require a vast array of skills, knowledge, and experience to make appropriate decisions about how best to design evaluation studies, manage them as they unfold, and make judgments about the quality and value of interventions. The skills, knowledge, and values critical to evaluation practice are articulated in various sets of evaluation competencies, published by different professional evaluation associations. These competencies include aspects related to the technical and management skills required to carry out evaluation work and the interpersonal and contextual skills necessary to adapt to changing circumstances and engage stakeholders appropriately.Linfield and Tovey (2021) define a case as: "A series of events, real or imagined, that tell an evaluation story to promote student learning, including illustrating a concept, skill development, and facilitating critical thinking, among others." (p. 13). Case-centered teaching is particularly well-suited to developing such competencies (Brock & Alford, 2015; Schafer, 2016). Case-centered teaching draws upon the existing knowledge and experiences of the learner while introducing new concepts, theories, and practices within a framework that can promote retention and retrieval (Austin & Packard, 2009). In addition, it encourages