Principle 1: Global Thinking

Have you started reading Michael's new book, Blue Marble Evaluation: Premises and Principles yet?

If not, this is great motivation to read it alongside other fellow BME members!

If so, perhaps you have questions and thoughts you'd like to share with Michael and others? 

Blue Marble refers to the iconic image of the Earth from space without borders or boundaries, a whole Earth perspective. We humans are using our planet’s resources, and polluting and warming it, in ways that are unsustainable. Many people, organizations, and networks are working to ensure the future is more sustainable and equitable. Blue Marble evaluators enter the fray by helping design such efforts, provide ongoing feedback for adaptation and enhanced impact, and examine the long-term effectiveness of such interventions and initiatives.

Summary: Michael Quinn Patton’s Blue Marble Evaluation is a forward-looking, path-breaking, and timely contribution to evaluation theory and practice. The title of the book evokes the Blue Marble shot—a photograph of the whole earth taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972. The preface of the book displays the first image of our lonely planet captured from space in 1968 (Earthrise).

With lockdowns and stay home orders spanning the globe to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, we've all been spending an awful lot of time on Zoom these days. I know I have. Even my 2 and 6 year olds have. And now the language of "zoomed out" has become commonplace. I think we are all feeling a little "zoomed out," but not in the good way. 

On April 21 ,2020, the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association hosted a webinar where they asked Michael Quinn Patton to explore the implications of the novel coronavirus for evaluation. 

The recording of the webinar can be found here.

The webinar generated lively discussion among participants. Below are some of the questions and comments shared in the chat during the webinar. 

Data Collection