[APG Public List] Participating in Evaluations

[Claire Bettag]

The discussion about what should be included in evaluations piques my  
interest. Some of the comments sound as if evaluations have been  
introduced for specific lectures at the national conferences. If so,  
I'm surprised and pleased. So, can someone clarify...have NGS and FGS  
begun to include evaluations on specific presentations?

For years NGS at least has not used them (but I don't know about  
Raleigh, as I was not there). I've always believed attendees should be  
asked to evaluate every presentation at national conferences, and-- 
just as important--that the evaluations should be shared with the  
speakers. I realize this is a hot button, but I nevertheless believe  
it is time for all national conferences to include evaluations and to  
share the evaluations with the speakers.

For the first several years when I began speaking at national  
conferences I made up my own eval forms. The room monitors passed them  
out to the attendees and collected them for me. The feedback was  
invaluable.

NIGR and IGHR and probably some of the other institutes and events do  
request evaluations for each lecture / class. As a speaker I must say  
I find them indispensable--we learn what worked in our presentations,  
what didn't, what people found too basic, too advanced, too rushed,  
too detailed, too general--you get the drift. Evaluation forms for  
each presentation should be a wonderful tool, as well, for answering  
the kinds of questions that are being raised here--for example,  
whether more advanced tracks should be offered.

I'm glad this topic has come up and I hope others will urge conference  
planners to introduce meaningful evaluations not just for the overall  
event, but for each lecture / class. Even if there have been problems  
in the past--and I realize there have been some--isn't it time we  
moved past them? I believe everyone would benefit.

Claire

Claire Bettag
1685 34th Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-625-2598
cell: 202-436-2121