PREPARING TO COMPETE

Advice from Past Participants

Participants in past competitions created this slide show to help teams prepare for the event.

Here are some of the key points from the show.

  • Read the guidelines for preparing a submission.

  • Practice working together on a case. You might use one from past world competitions or a national competition. Have the practice presentation critiqued by your coach or another experienced evaluator.

  • Decide in advance the software that will be used for preparing your submission. Agree on the fonts, colours and layout. Design a logo for the team to give your presentation a unique look.

  • Some teams have found it useful to decide in advance which members will lead the work on various aspects of the submission.

  • Establish a tentative schedule for competition day. For example, consider the approximate amount of time you will spend on reading the case, conducting research, preparing your submission, and editing it before uploading.

  • Above all, respect each other. Listen to each other. Appreciate each other. Enjoy working together as a team.

Advice from WECC Advisors and Organizers

  • Read the “Tasks” section in the case document very carefully and respond to each task. You cannot score points for tasks that you have not addressed.

  • Your team should act as professional evaluation consultants communicating with a potential client, not as students writing an exam on evaluation theory. In a proposal to an organization, a consulting company will try to demonstrate that they understand the organization and can provide a service that will help improve its effectiveness.

  • Just as there is no formal expectation for references in a consulting company’s bid for an evaluation contract, there is no expectation for references in a WECC submission. However, if the team believes that a reference is essential, feel free to use any type: a statistical report, a video or blog, a program evaluation report, a journal article, a newspaper column, grey literature , et cetera. However, be sure that the reference is directly relevant to the case and provide a link so that the reader can investigate it if they wish.

  • Be cautious when using content produced by artificial intelligence (AI). Indiscreet use of AI can weaken a submission. More detailed advice on using AI is provided here.

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