The CES is glad to announce a webinar delivered on February 8 in English by Harry Cummings and Don Murray entitled Where Do Logic Models Fit in the World of Theory of Change.

The webinar will review the recent explosion of Interest in the Theory of Change and compare and contrast it to the more traditional Program Logic or Logical Framework Approach. Program theory and logic are at the core of evaluation practice so it is important that we clarify the relative position of the two approaches.

First of all, we will suggest where and how these approaches should be used in program and project planning and evaluation. We will invite your input on best practices and/or desirable applications of these models.

Then we will attempt to answer the following questions. Are there 2 distinct approaches? What are the differences? Can the two approaches complement each other or do you have to make a choice? What are the range of options available to you as you explore Program Logic and Theory of Change? Are there situations where one approach is better suited than the other?

We will present some examples of both approaches and provide some resources for those who continue to work on program theory and its role in evaluation.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 8, 2017 from 12 pm to 1 pm Eastern Time

WHERE: CES webinars take place online using the GoToWebinar platform. You can check your computer's requirements.

COST: Free for all CES members.

LANGUAGE: English

Biography of presenters

Harry Cummings is the Director of Harry Cummings and Associates and President of the Canadian Evaluation Society ( www.hcaconsulting.ca). Harry has Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from Clark University and a B.A. Honours from Western. He is a Registered Professional Planner. He specializes in program logic and evaluation planning in Canada and internationally. Harry is a retired professor of Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph. He supervised over 120 graduate students and continues to teach a graduate course in Program Evaluation. Harry’s publications have focused on results based management, program logic, participatory evaluation, decentralization, local and regional food systems and rural development in Canada and internationally. Harry designed the CES program logic model short course. Harry is fluent in French and Indonesian.

Don Murray is a senior evaluation and planning consultant at Harry Cummings and Associates. He has a Masters Degree in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph and is a Credentialed Evaluator through the Canadian Evaluation Society. His work extends across a variety of federal, provincial and local agencies/organizations in a variety of sectors including health, education, social services, and natural resources. Don is a co-founder / co-organizer of Evaluation Café Guelph - an informal networking group that meets regularly several times a year to discuss new developments in the field of evaluation and to exchange views.

Learning objectives

• To understand when to use program logic and theory of change models.
• To identify the basic characteristics of a Theory of Change Approach
• To identify the basic characteristics of a Program Logic/Logical Framework Approach
• To provide some resources on the use of these programming and evaluation tools.

In addition, this webinar aims to strengthen capacities in line with the following Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice:

• 2.1 Understands the knowledge base of evaluation (theories, models, types, methods and tools)
• 2.2 Specifies program theory
• 3.3 Identifies impacted stakeholders
• 5.1 Uses written communication skills and technologies