Previous research, evaluation and consulting projects
(undertaken by June independently or in collaboration with others at Queensland University of Technology)

Development of a tender for the Community Governance Pilot Program (2006) This involved reviewing relevant literature and web resources and developing a tender to the Department of Communities (Queensland Government) for an action learning project. This project would develop and trial resources to build the governance skills and capacities of management committees in NGOs working in the community and health sectors in Queensland. This tender was prepared for Learning Network Queensland.

Development of a proposal for the project: Assessing Communication for Social Change Initiatives: A new approach to impact assessment (2006) This involved a search and review of literature and developing a proposal for an action research project that would be conducted by QUT and the University of Adelaide in collaboration with Equal Access from 2007 - 2010. The project aims to develop and trial a new hybrid methodology that uses community-generated indicators to assess the long-term impacts of communication initiatives on poverty ill-being and human rights in developing countries.

Evaluation of the Good Start Breakfast Club program (2005-2006) This project involved designing and facilitating a series of empowerment evaluation workshops with community volunteers, teachers and management and staff of the Australian Red Cross and Sanitarium, analysing feedback on the methodology and methods and preparing reports on these evaluation activities. This independent consulting project was conducted in collaboration witha doctoral student from the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Wollongong. 

The Learning, Evaluation, Action and Reflection for New technologies, Empowerment and Rural Sustainability (LEARNERS) project (2001-2004) This project trialed a participatory process for evaluating community IT projects (see http://www.learners.qut.edu.au ). June was a Chief Investigator, Post Doctoral Fellow and Project Manager. It involved extensive engagement with five public sector partners and the Shire Councils and other organisations in two communities in rural Queensland. Participatory action research and participatory evaluation methodologies were used to build evaluation capacities. The meta-evaluation of the project involved designing and conducting interviews, focus group discussions, and annual critical reflection workshops, analysing workshop feedback questionnaires, and writing case studies of the participating communities. Analysis of the impacts of the project on participants and the communities used the framework of empowerment developed in June's doctoral study. As well as effectively building evaluation capacities, the project fostered ideas for innovative uses of ICTs for community and economic development.

Development of the EvaluateIT Resource Kit (2004) This pilot project was closely related to the LEARNERS project. The State Library of Queensland was a major partner in the project. June was a Chief Investigator and the Project Manager. The project involved collaboratively designing and developing an online resource kit ( http://www.evaluateit.org ) that assists organisations and groups in rural communities and elsewhere to plan and conduct evaluations of community IT projects such as websites and Internet training programs. Research work included distributing questionnaires, and conducting workshops and focus groups in four rural and regional communities to obtain feedback on the kit and suggestions for improvement. The kit was considered very practical, useful and easy for community groups to use.

Framework for the Participatory Planning and Evaluation of Community Development Initiatives that use ICTs (1999 - 2000) This pilot project was conducted in collaboration with the Queensland Open Learning Network (now Learning Network Queensland ) and the Department of Employment, Training and Industrial Relations. June was the first Chief Investigator and Research Associate. She undertook a comprehensive literature review, collaborative design of the framework with the industry partners and other researchers, and focus group discussions and teleconferences with people in seven rural and regional communities to obtain feedback on the framework. She also prepared a case study of training issues and the existing planning processes in a rural community.

Design of an Evaluation of the Australian Virtual Centre for Women and the Law (1999) This consulting project was independently conducted for the National Women's Justice Coalition. It involved planning and designing an innovative evaluation process that would assess the impacts of the AVCWL, using a feminist participatory action research methodology. Funded by Networking the Nation, the AVCWL was expected to host up to 150 online discussion lists.

Assessing the Internet Training Needs of Women in Rural and Remote Queensland (1998) This assessment was conducted as part of a consultancy for the Queensland Rural Women's Network. It involved designing and distributing a survey to QRWN members, analysis of the survey data, and preparing a report. The proposal for the ‘BridgIT' Internet training project that was developed as part of this consultancy was awarded a $2 million Networking the Nation grant.

Evaluating the Impacts of Rural Women's Use of Interactive Communication Technologies (1996-1997) This project aimed to assess the impacts of Queensland rural women access to ICTs for personal, business and community development purposes. June was a Chief Investigator and Research Associate. Using a feminist action research methodology, this project was conducted in collaboration with women in ten communities in rural, regional and remote Queensland and eight government and industry partners. The project included workshops, interviews, audioconferences and the establishment of online discussion groups. It was awarded a Queensland Information Technology and Telecommunications Award in the category Regional Community Innovations in 1997. June undertook a participatory evaluation of the project's methodology and activities and its impacts on rural women as part of her doctoral study. This involved a detailed assessment of how well the project met the diverse needs of rural women and the extent to which it met the aims of inclusion and empowerment.

Evaluation of a Community Consultation Process on the Sustainable Development of Pumicestone Passage (1994) June was a Chief Investigator and Research Associate. The evaluation involved in-depth interviews with Queensland Department of Primary Industries staff, facilitating focus group discussions with diverse community members, and analysing follow-up questionnaire data. More detailed analysis of the focus group data was undertaken as part of June's Masters research which developed a framework for women's participation in planning for sustainable development.