The four-part virtual series brings together panelists from academic institutions and community organizations to translate evidence-based evaluation approaches and practices in an accessible and meaningful way for stakeholders at all levels of sport in Canada.<\/p>\n
Two webinars have taken place thus far, with remaining sessions scheduled for Wednesday, June 2<\/a> and Wednesday, June 23<\/a> from 1 to 2:15 p.m<\/p>\n Corliss Bean, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cEvaluation is often seen as a scary word for a lot of organizations,\u201d Bean says. \u201cThe goal of this project \u2014 both the webinar series and the toolkit collaboratively developed with SIRC \u2014 is to support sport stakeholders in making evaluation feasible and not so daunting. Participants will gain tips, tricks and resources that allow them to carry out evaluation in practical and meaningful ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Veronica Allan, Manager of Research and Innovation at SIRC, also highlights the value of this knowledge translation project for the sport sector.<\/p>\n \u201cEvaluation is critical for sport organizations, especially as they negotiate rapidly evolving changes during the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d she says. \u201cGathering data to better understand, adapt and improve sport programs impacted by COVID-19 is vital for their continued success.\u201d<\/p>\n The webinar series is part of a larger knowledge translation project entitled \u201cWalking the talk: Mobilizing knowledge to enhance evaluation capacity in the Canadian sport sector,\u201d which also includes co-investigator Associate Professor Martin Camir\u00e9 from the University of Ottawa\u2019s School of Human Kinetics. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grants with additional funds from Brock\u2019s Office of the Vice-President, Research and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Dean\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n \u201cThe title of the project says it all,\u201d Bean says, \u201cSIRC wanted to \u2018walk the talk\u2019 and work toward being a leader in evaluation practices within the sport sector by building their own internal evaluation capacity. As a national knowledge broker this is truly a commendable undertaking, and they have done a fabulous job doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n SIRC is comprised of a committed team of professionals dedicated to advancing Canada\u2019s sport and physical activity sector through knowledge and engagement.<\/p>\n According to a 2018 report prepared by the Ontario Nonprofit Network, 94 per cent of organizations are engaged in some form of evaluation, yet only 14 per cent of the organizations had a staff member dedicated to evaluation.<\/p>\n \u201cOur partnership with Dr. Bean has provided tremendous benefits for SIRC and the Canadian sport sector,\u201d says Allan. \u201cDr. Bean has played a key role in developing SIRC\u2019s evaluation capacity over the past year, and through this grant, we are able to share the knowledge and skills that we have built with the broader sport community.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the overarching project goals is to disseminate a series of knowledge products, including videos and blog posts, with the aim of building evaluation capacity across Canada\u2019s sport sector.<\/p>\n Helping in the creation of these evidence-based products are Brock fourth-year RECL students Nicole Quinlan and Ashley Romano, alongside RECL Sessional Instructor Meghan Harlow, who created blogs based on their experiences supporting local community organizations with an evaluation project as part of their experiential education coursework.<\/p>\n Drawing on research evidence and their own experiences enrolled in RECL\u2019s Program Evaluation in Professional Practice<\/em> course, Quinlan and Romano wrote blogs focused on the application of course-related concepts, such as how to use movement-based approaches to engage youth in program evaluation.<\/p>\n \u201cMy blog details my first-hand experience conducting a program evaluation during a placement with Brock Niagara Penguins,\u201d Quinlan says. \u201cEvery evaluation is different. I learned the concepts of \u2018building it up\u2019 and \u2018knocking it down\u2019 are important steps involved in selecting the right questions, choosing the right tools to answer those questions, and ultimately answering those questions in meaningful ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Romano also gained first-hand experience conducting a program evaluation during her placement with the Bounce Back League (BBL), a nationally-run, trauma-informed sports program that aims to improve the physical and mental health of its members by combining organized sport with the power of being part of a team.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the BBL, evaluations are crucial to understand children\u2019s program experiences,\u201d Romano says. \u201cIn this context, choosing data collection methods that work for kids is just as important. My blog explores creative approaches to data collection, including movement-based methods, and offers tips and tricks for implementing movement-based methods with children.\u201d<\/p>\n These blogs highlight samples of knowledge products created to be a part of the \u201cToolkit: Mastering the Art of Evaluation<\/a>.\u201d The kit\u2019s final pieces \u2014 short, illustrated videos that share main messages from each of the webinars \u2014 are still in development.<\/p>\n \u201cEvaluation is so important now more than ever given the changing times we\u2019re navigating,\u201d Bean says. \u201cSport stakeholders have been working hard to pivot and adapt program goals and delivery to meet public health guidelines or transition to virtual or socially-distanced settings. Because of these adaptations, it is critical to make time to ask important questions to understand what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not, whether we\u2019re meeting the needs of our clients, and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information or to view recordings of previous webinars, visit the SIRC website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Upcoming webinars include:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Corliss-Bean-878x1050.jpg\")
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