¹North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, U.S.A.

Correspondence: Diane D. Chapman, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7801, 310 Poe Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695 7801, U.S.A. Tel: +1 919 513 4872; E-mail: diane_chapman@ncsu.edu

Received 13 June 2006; Accepted 17 July 2007.

Abstract

New Learning (NL) is an innovative process aimed at collaborative learning in professional and scholarly events and is a new way of approaching evaluation at professional conferences. NL is a process integral to a conference that focuses on the learner and how and what they learn, rather than on presenters and presentations. Whereas most professional conferences claim learning as a primary objective, seldom do any structure or evaluate to maximize that objective. The NL process helps to structure and assess organizational learning as a primary outcome in addition to providing avenues for collection of traditional evaluation information. This article explains the NL process, reviews the literature of learning and evaluation, describes what NL is and how it works, and then compares and contrasts it with traditional evaluation methods and theory. It concludes with implications for future applications and research for NL.