Virtual Fair – Learning as we go: what makes for effective PLEI evaluation

Description

What have we done? What have we learned? Join Lois Gander, a leader in the field of public legal education (PLEI) practice and evaluation, as she shares her experience and perspectives on the state of evaluation in Canada. How has the evaluation of PLEI evolved in the last few decades? What have we learned? What should guide us when considering how to evaluate our work?

Links: https://www.plecanada.org/author/lgander/

Speaker Bio

Julie Mathews (Moderator)

Jessica Reekie (Moderator)

Lois has over 50 years experience in developing the theory and practice of public legal education (PLE) in Canada and has witnessed PLE become integral to the Canadian justice system. She was the Executive Director of the Legal Resource Centre of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta from the Centre’s creation in 1975 until it was established as an independent charitable organization in 2007 (now operating as the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta). Lois’ current PLE work focuses on helping agencies understand the myriad problems that survivors of domestic violence encounter when they engage with the legal system. She is currently working with an immigrant-serving agency to develop PLE strategies and resources for several newcomer communities in Edmonton. Over the course of her career, Lois has been involved in exploring the potential of public legal education, often pushing its boundaries to generate innovative approaches to engaging the public both individually and collectively - as informed consumers, trusted intermediaries, citizens, or advocates for social justice. Throughout that work, she has maintained a keen interest in evaluating the impact of PLE in its various guises. In particular, in 2015 she completed a study, The Impacts of Public Legal Education in Canada, to determine the extent to which selected PLE organizations assess the impact of their work. More recently, she was an advisor to a project that looked at how selected small community organizations in Ontario assess their PLE work.