Evaluative synthesis is the culmination of the eval reasoning process. It brings together evidence and values about whatever is being evaluated to make an evaluative judgement. Getting evaluative synthesis right is an ethical responsibility for evaluators because evaluation is used to make decisions about ongoing funding, expansion or other changes. Evaluation synthesis can be challenging but is not discussed much in the literature or in professional development opportunities. Yet it is explicitly mentioned within two domains of the Aotearoa New Zealand competencies.
This extended presentation will focus on what it takes to do competent reasoning at the synthesis stage of an evaluation, based on our experience of teaching emerging evaluators in a Masters-level course on evaluation practice. We will cover:
- What is evaluative synthesis and why is it important?
- What are common pitfalls?
- Practical tips and resources for doing it well.
