Join us in this session to explore how creativity plays a role in Evaluative Practice. In this session we (Elisavet Christou, Violet Owen and Pinar Ceyhan from Lancaster University) will talk about our research on Creative Evaluation approaches and the role creativity plays in designing evaluations that are engaging, collaborative and inclusive! We will share key principles of Creative Evaluation described in our Little Book of Creative Evaluation, present relevant real-world examples and tools like our Evaluation Visualisation Design Tool (EViD), and share relevant free online resources for those interested in learning more about how to bringing creativity in their own evaluative practice.
Evaluation is a beneficial and necessary process that generates important information and insight about what works well and what needs improvement. The evaluation process has the potential to foster new knowledge and learning, along with evidencing impact and instigating change. However, evaluation is often seen as a dry and bureaucratic process, an afterthought, a concern for after the end of a project and a drain on resources.
In recent years, there has been a shift in how we design and conduct evaluations and there is great interest in approaches that promote engagement, participation, inclusivity and creativity. Creative Evaluation is not one clear pathway to evaluating. It is instead a constellation of approaches that employ creative methods, tools, and creative thinking aimed at producing evaluations that foster collaboration, mutual learning, inclusivity and engagement. Learning from and responding to the specific context within which an evaluation is situated, along with being open and flexible in how participants can contribute to the evaluation design and practice, are key elements of Creative Evaluation.
In this session we aim to present key ideas and applications of Creative Evaluation and open a discussion on how creativity plays an increasingly important role in Evaluative Practice.”
Elisavet Christou is a Lecturer in Management and Organisation Studies, at the department of Organisation, Work and Technology at Lancaster University Management School. She is an inter and trans-disciplinary researcher and educator and works within and across evaluation, design, computing, digital arts and digital media.
Fun fact: A mother of two and a lover of cats and cat memes!
Violet Owen is a Senior Research Associate at ImaginationLancaster, a design-led research lab in the Institute for Contemporary Arts at Lancaster University. Her research spans topics including Creative Evaluation, Sustainability, Serious Games and community repair practices.
Fun Fact: In 2019 she won a silver medal in an international barbershop singing competition.
Pınar is an International Lecturer in Design at the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, Lancaster University. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Evaluation Visualisation Design Tool (EViD). Her research focuses on two main areas: evaluation design, methods, and processes; and how experience design influences cognition and meaning-making.
Fun fact: Monkey as her spirit animal, Pınar enjoyed performing aerial arts in another life.