Abstract
Evaluation is an essential organizational practice in the sport sector, but many organizations do not have capacity (e.g., staffing, funding, time) to engage in evaluative work. In partnership with the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC), this study evaluated the delivery (e.g., reach, engagement) and effectiveness (e.g., knowledge, behaviours) of a webinar series and associated knowledge products that aimed to build evaluation capacity among Canadian sport organizations. We collected data through registration forms, exit surveys, and digital analytics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results showed that the four-part webinar series attracted 813 registrations (M=203/webinar) across 11 provinces and territories. Four-hundred sixteen people attended the webinars (M=104/webinar), reflecting an attendance rate of 51%. Two-thirds of registrants represented sport organizations (67%), while the remainder represented postsecondary institutions (11%), government (5%), and other organizations (16%). Among survey respondents, 92% reported an increase in evaluation knowledge, 78% reported an increase in confidence to carry out evaluation practices, and 83% planned to apply what they learned in their professional practice. We also developed an online evaluation toolkit and 16 knowledge products to support continued evaluation learning (e.g., videos, blog posts, worksheets). Findings regarding product uptake (e.g., number of clicks/downloads) are forthcoming. Not only did this project provide opportunities to build evaluation capacity in Canadian sport, but also helped to build SIRC's evaluation capacity. This project also provides a blueprint for other knowledge translation hubs wishing to build evaluation and knowledge translation capacity.Acknowledgments: This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Sport Information Resource Centre, and Brock University