Five reasons to attend the AEA Summer Institute 2015

Posted by nnlmneo on March 20th, 2015 Posted in: Blog

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Registration is now open for the American Evaluation Association’s annual Summer Evaluation Institute.  The Institute, held in Atlanta, runs for 2.5 days and features 26 half-day training sessions.   Here are five reasons I make a point of attending this Institute every year.

• Great instructors. The training is offered by some of the most experienced evaluators in the field.
• A continuing education bargain. Training costs about $80-90 per half-day session, less for students.
• CDC presence. Historically, AEA co-sponsored this annual event with Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  While the CDC no longer co-sponsors the Institute, you will meet lots of CDC staff members and consultants.
• Networking opportunities. Between lunch and breaks, you get eight opportunities to chat with your colleagues.
• Great location. The Institute is held at the Crown Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia, located in a park-like setting on Atlanta’s perimeter near shopping and restaurants. The hotel is on the MARTA (mass transit) red line, so you can get from the airport to the hotel without facing Atlanta’s legendary traffic. Because I live near Atlanta, I haven’t stayed in the hotel; but I’ve never heard any complaints.

Full-day pre-Institute workshops are held, for an additional charge, on the Sunday before the Institute. You can attend pre-conference sessions without registering for the Institute itself.  For example, beginners might want to take “Introduction to Evaluation” taught by Tom Chapel, the Chief Evaluation Officer at the CDC. Chapel organizes the workshop around the CDC’s six-step framework for program evaluation.

The AEA Institute 2015 runs June 1-3, with pre-session workshops conducted on May 31. The cost for the Institute is $395 for members and $480 for nonmembers, with a special student rate of $250. The price covers five training sessions (your choice among the 26 offerings), snacks, and lunch.  Pre-Institute workshops are an additional $150 (all participants).