Developmental Evaluation guides adaptive action, innovative initiatives, and systems change in complex dynamic environments. The essentials of this approach will be presented, examined, and applied. Participants will learn to distinguish Developmental Evaluation from other evaluation approaches with special attention to community engaged, shared leadership applications based on utilization-focused and co-creation principles. .The course will include special attention to the relevance and implications of evaluation adaptability and agility in times of uncertainty and turbulence, as in the global pandemic, the accelerating climate emergency, and resilience in the face of policies that oppose equity and sustainability. The course will cover the niche, nature, and principles of developmental evaluation; purposes and applications at local and international levels; the particular challenges, strengths, and weaknesses of this approach; essential principles and practices for designing and conducting developmental evaluations; case examples; and use of the new ADAPT framework.
