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5x52 Program Evaluation

The Design-Informed Program Evaluation Manifesto

the mastery within.

Consider the lyrical lines
from a Verdi’s bel canto aria,
or the highly evolved
ab
strac
tion
from Picasso’s bull.

Consider the artful sentence,
or a poet’s communication through
white space.

Consider:
the injustice of genocide
exposed
on a photograph;

the peaceful, pulsating
indicator light
on an Apple computer;

the transformation of an apprentice
under the tutelage of a master.

the catharsis from a Shakespearian tragedy
(or, say, a modern-day Steven Sondheim Sweeney Todd);

to inspire, to catalyze, to set in motion.

rhythm, sound, harmony, syntax,
colour, shade, composition.
This gestalt generates creative tension.

the ingenious thinking that lies within springs to life.

To the trained eyes,
simplicity may reveal complexity
and from chaos reveal order;
the resolution is one of beauty and wholeness.
To the untrained eyes,
the sophistication remains,
though unnoticed;

An experience is nevertheless shaped,

experienced, and inspired by the

thinking.

To design is to render our intentions into the active voice.

 

 

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By Chi Yan Lam

Dr. Chi Yan Lam is a Credentialed Evaluator and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of evaluation at the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University; he is also a full-time evaluator practicing in public service. He specializes in evaluating large-scale, complex programs and incorporates multi-, mixed- and design methods in his evaluations to answer questions of importance to program administrators and policy makers working on educational and social programs. His articles on evaluation have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the American Journal of Evaluation and the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. He has been a holder of the professional designation in evaluation since 2014.

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