A team of four students from the University of Waterloo are off to the final round of the national case competition of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) on May 14 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The team formed by Anum Khan, Mary Jean Costello, Renata Valaitis, and Sarah Sousa from the School of Public Health and Health Systems is one of three selected from across Canada for this annual event.
Their competitors will be from the University of Ottawa and Université Laval. The competition will be held as part of the national conference of the CES.
The competition helps students build their skills in evaluating public policies and programs. Using real life examples of public sector or community-based programs, the finalists will develop recommendations for how to best go about evaluating whether the programs are doing the right things right and making a difference– all within the pressure of a team effort in a five hour window. Teams are judged by a panel of experienced evaluators.
“We’re very excited for the opportunity to participate in this competition and represent University of Waterloo on a national level. The support from our peers, coaches and faculty has really helped us to prepare for this final round,” says team member Sarah Sousa.
Dr. Anita Myers and Dr. Mark Seasons have coached teams for several years and have a strong track record in the competition.
Given the increasing emphasis on results and accountability in public policy and programs, the case competition is an important contribution by the Canadian Evaluation Society to the broader community.