Participant Evaluations
Participants in the course will receive a thorough evaluation of their performance over the two week
session. Evaluations will be made by the group facilitators, in close collaboration with Profs. Bicchieri
and Mackie, who will themselves attend many of the afternoon sessions. The purpose of these
evaluations is primarily for your own edification. We hope, on the one hand, that they can give you a
clearer idea of the skills we expect to help you develop, and the outcomes we’ll work with you to
produce; and, on the other, that they provide a helpful outside perspective on the progress you’ve made
during the course, regarding your strengths, and areas of potential improvement, as you take what
you’ve learned back to your work in the field.
The evaluation will consist of two parts. First, you’ll receive an overall evaluation of your
performance, on the following scale:
Pass with High Distinction // Pass with Distinction // Pass // Incomplete
The overall evaluation will be a weighted average of the following criteria:
Preparedness (25%).
Participants should come to each session prepared. This means consistent attendance,
completing the nightly reading, and preparing a short response to the reading – whether a set
of questions, an observation, or a counter-argument.
Class Participation (25%).
The afternoon sessions will be discussion-driven, and therefore will rely heavily on student
engagement. Participation can come in any number of forms: asking (or answering!)
clarificatory or critical questions, integrating the concepts discussed in the lecture to your own
field experience, or discussing the field experiences of other students.
Final Project and Presentation (50%).
Over the course of the two week session, participants will develop and present a final project, in
which they apply the theoretical tools learned to a challenge they face in the field. Please see
the reverse for a detailed description of the Final Project.
Second, you’ll receive personalized comments from your facilitators, in collaboration with Profs.
Biccieri and Mackie, on areas both strong and with potential for improvement. Among the skills that
will be addressed in these comments are:
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Mastery of the theoretical concepts introduced
Mastery of the case studies presented
Ability to think critically and creatively about the material
Ability to integrate the theoretical material and strategies for addressing practical problems in
your field
Final Project
By the end of the two week session, you’ll have developed and presented an approximately 6-10 page
final project, describing a practical challenge, and evaluating strategies for addressing it using the
theoretical tools and cases we’ve discussed during the sessions. Below is a rough outline of what we
expect:
I. Description of the challenge using the theoretical tools learned in session.
1. Use the concepts learned to describe the problem you're addressing: its history,
development, the bad effects it has, etc.
2. If relevant, compare the issue you're addressing with a case study we've studied during
the sessions. How is it similar? How different?
3. Use the theoretical framework learned to describe the desired outcomes.
II. Critical Evaluation of the Work So Far
1. Describe the strategies, if any, that have been employed thus far in addressing the
challenge you described in section I
2. In what ways are these strategies already integrating what's been learned during the
course?
3. What strategies, if any, appear less likely to be successful in light of what you've learned
during the course?
III. Change in Practices
1. Describe at least one new or modified strategy for addressing your challenge that's been
suggested by what you've learned during the course. How will you change your practice,
and why, on the basis of what you've learned?
IV. Presentation and Executive Summary
1. Prepare a 1-2 page Executive Summary of your report that would be appropriate for
sharing with UNICEF colleagues and non-governmental and community partners.
2. Present your report to the other members of our discussion group. Presentations should
be thorough, clear, and engaging.