Health Professions Education Scholarship Day – Keynote and Workshop with Dr. Betty Onuyra

Does HPE need an Evaluation Revival? Tensions & Opportunities in Routine Practices | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Zoom 

Early evaluation scholars had grand aspirations for program evaluation. They envisioned it would evolve into a social practice that routinely leveraged science to serve the public good. However, as evaluation becomes routinezed across health and educational programming, there is growing discontent about whether evaluation work is in fact serving the public interest. In this presentation, Betty invites the audience to consider whether we need to reimagine how we practice evaluation within health professions education. First, she will share findings from two recent studies. One illustrates trends in evaluation within health professions education. The second examines evaluation practices within the context of accreditation. Specifically, the research examines the tensions that emerge during day-to-day evaluation work within an accreditation-seeking environment. Through examples from both research and practice, this talk will highlight how tensions – that may be masked within daily routines – in fact present critical decision-points about evaluation’s scope, ownership, identity, and values. Implications for how these decision points shape the utility and value of evaluation will be discussed.

In the latter part of the presentation, Betty will explore questions about what an evaluation revival could look like for health professions education, as well as what would it to spark it.

What’s Realist? Key Concepts & Practical Considerations | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Zoom

This workshop introduces the audience to realist evaluation methodology. Attendees will learn key realist evaluation concepts while exploring common applications and misconceptions within the health professions education context. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to work through practical exercises and build foundational skills for applying realist evaluation.

Facilitator: Dr. Betty Onyura, Director, Knowledge Mobilization
CAHM, Provincial System Support Program
Cross-appointed scientist, Wilson Centre, University of Toronto

Zoom link will be sent to attendees prior to the workshop.

Dr. Betty Onyura is a scientist-practitioner who holds multiple leadership and research appointments at the intersection of healthcare, education, and evaluation. Presently, she is the Director, KMb for the Provincial System Support Program at CAMH, and holds faculty appointments in both DFCM & IHPME. She leads a SSHRC-funded emerging program of research on evaluation as a social practice, and is a Board Director for the Canadian Evaluation Society, Ontario Chapter.