COVID-19 resources

This page contains tips, tricks, and resources for evaluators, especially related to changing work practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you to those members who have shared their tips.

Tips and tricks

• Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) continue to catalogue COVID-19 resources. Latest articles of interest include Financial wellbeing and COVID-19: CSI response by the Centre for Social Impact; Government support for individuals and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by the National Rural Health Alliance and Policies against COVID-19: reflections on the way in and the way out by the Centre for Independent Studies. Click here to access the resources including reports and articles.
• The current COVID19 travel restrictions pose significant challenges to field-based assessments of project effectiveness. So, what can evaluators do when they can’t get in the field? One possibility is to observe project impacts from space. Read the latest IEG blog When evaluators cannot make it to the field, they can always observe from space by Joachim Vandercasteelen. It explains how the IEG is analyzing geospatial datasets in several of its ongoing evaluations. Please also see the latest resources: https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/topic/covid-19-coronavirus-response 
• The EvalCrisis Podcast Series by the DEVCO / Evaluation Support Service, aims to serve the evaluation community by sharing teachings on the adaptation of evaluation to crisis situations, such as the current global health pandemic caused by COVID-19. Click here to listen to the latest episode.
• The European Evaluation Society (EES) has compiled a list of relevant articles, blog posts, trainings, etc. Go to https://europeanevaluation.org/evaluation-in-times-of-covid-19/ for more information and to access.
• Click here to read a recently published article in Systems (ISSN 2079-8954) titled Developing a Preliminary Causal Loop Diagram for Understanding the Wicked Complexity of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This article belongs to the Special Issue Life in the Time of a Pandemic: Social, Economic, Health and Environmental Impacts of COVID-19—Systems Approach Study
• The Malaysian Evaluation Society (MES) is pleased to announce the launch of its public evaluation Webinar series themed Evaluation & Public Policy Response. The series will kick off with the first Webinar: The CoViD19 Pandemic: Evaluation & Public Policy Response -Where are we? on Saturday 18 July, 2020 at 10.30am Malaysian time (GMT +8). To register go to https://bit.ly/MESWEBINAR2020.
• Read the latest ARTD Blog: https://www.artd.com.au/news/business-as-unusual-assessing-engagement-to-ensure-it-is-purposeful/
• Better Evaluation continues their blog series on adapting evaluation in the time of COVID-19. Read part 2 DEFINE what is to be evaluated. In this installment the focus is on the DEFINE cluster of Rainbow Framework tasks and brings together advice and resources on theories of change. 
• The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) has created a repository of relevant work, bringing together a range of evaluations of responses to past global crises such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 2006 Avian Influenza, to make the lessons generated more accessible. This repository, which includes infographics, will be updated regularly as new reports and analysis become available: http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/topic/covid-19-coronavirus-response
• Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) are cataloguing COVID-19 resources almost daily on the pandemic. Click here to access the resources including reports and articles. They have also written a blog on their response to COVID-19. Click here to read. Thank you to APO for sharing.
• Migration Council Australia (MCA) has developed a multilingual resource for Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities about COVID-19, its impact and available support.
• MyAusCovid-19 app is available in 25 languages and can be downoladed from the App Store or Google Play. Go to https://www.myauscovid-19.org.au/ for more information.
• NVivo (owned by QSR) offer free webinars on qualitative and quantitative research and analysis as well as one on COVID-19 and Virtual Fieldwork - thanks to Jennifer M for sharing

• impact2020 is offering free daily webinars for the Australian for-purpose sector, covering a range of social impact topic areas with the Centre for Social Impact's innovative researchers, educators and thought leaders - thanks to Jennifer M for sharing

• The latest AEA newsletter provided some tips to looking and sounding your best online. AEA's daily blog, AEA365, is rolling out a series of Saturday posts offering reflection and information for evaluation practice during this global pandemic.

• IEG has created a COVID-19 Evaluative Resource and Lesson Library: a repository of relevant work on evidence from the responses to past crises, which offers important lessons on what worked and why.

• The IEG has also released two useful Evaluation during COVID-19 Infographics: Digital Data Collection During COVID-19 and Making Choices about Evaluation Design in times of COVID-19: A Decision Tree

• Clear Horizon has created a new blog series. Check out the latest blogs: COVID-19 screwed your MEL plans? What next and M&E and international development in COVID-19

• Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) has written an article on Loneliness in the time of Covid
• Better Evaluation has started a blog series on adapting evaluation in the time of COVID-19. Read part 1 MANAGE evaluations: https://www.betterevaluation.org/blog/adapting-evaluation-time-covid-19-part-1-manage
• ARTD Consultants share their latest blogs on Sensemaking Through Uncertainty and Business as Unusual
• American Evaluation Assoication has a number of COVID-19 related blogs in their A Tip-A-Day by and for Evaluators: https://aea365.org/blog/
• The IEG - WB Group has released a framework organised around four questions to address the ethical, conceptual, and methodological challenges that are affecting  evaluation work during the COVID-19 pandemic: http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/blog/adapting-evaluation-designs-times-covid-19-coronavirus-four-questions-guide-decisions 
• Adapting evaluations to the COVID-19 pandemic from the UNFPA Evaluation Office: https://www.unfpa.org/admin-resource/adapting-evaluations-covid-19-pandemic
• View the Evaluation During COVID-19 resources from the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/covid19.shtml 

The follwing is provided with the kind assistance of the Queensland Regional Network of the AES and dedicated to information, methods and mindsets to help you continue evaluating in times of social distancing. Starting with these suggested resources from the AES Queensland Regional Committee: 

• This thought piece on reflecting on the Role of Evaluator During This Global Pandemic (from Rebecca)

• This point-of-view from IPSOS on conducting research during COVID-19 (from Kylie);

• Not-for-profit technology resources to get you through COVID-19 (from Rhianon);

• This excellent crowd sourced document on COVID-friendly data collection methods from UNSW (from Kiri);

• Check out this comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources from the International Association for Public Participation (from Zahn);

• This thought piece (with great illustrations) on the importance of developing an evaluation mindset in times of crisis (from Robert);

• Abt Associates have published a whitepaper on the what public policy researchers must do to maintain quality, rigor, and scientific integrity for their work during a pandemic (from Natalie).

AES member Kym from Wellington, NZ has also shared the link to an article by Michael Patton on Evaluation Implications of the Coronavirus Global Health Pandemic Emergency.