Evaluating Arts and Cultural Projects

Program Overview

This 15-week blended learning program equips participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively evaluate arts and cultural projects. Through interactive workshops, online seminars, and independent study, participants will learn about project evaluation design, methods, data analysis, and ethical considerations. Graduates can pursue careers as cultural project evaluators, freelance evaluators, or consultants in cultural project evaluation.

Program Outline

Outline:

• Objectives: The course focuses on equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to evaluate arts and cultural projects effectively.
• Content: The curriculum covers the following topics:
• Social and political context of project evaluation
• Design and logic modelling of project evaluation
• Selecting appropriate evaluation methods
• Establishing baselines for evaluation
• Data generation and analysis
• Ethical considerations in evaluation
• Communicating evaluation findings
• Structure: The course utilizes a blended learning approach, comprising both in-person and online sessions.
• In-person sessions include four half-day workshops held on QMU's campus.
• Online sessions consist of four hours of online seminars and 2-3 hours of individual study time dedicated to readings and assignments.
• Course Schedule:
• Duration: 15 weeks (one semester)
• Start Date: January 26, 2024

Assessment:

The course requires participants to:

• Create a 3000-word proposal outlining an evaluation plan for a cultural project.
• Submit a 1000-word critical reflection on the challenges of project evaluation in the cultural sector.

Teaching:

• Faculty: The course is taught by Alice McGrath and Professor David Stevenson.
• Teaching Methods:
• Interactive workshops
• Online seminars
• Independent study
• Expert-led instruction

Careers:

Graduates of the course can pursue careers as:

• Cultural project evaluators
• Freelance evaluators
• Consultants in cultural project evaluation

Other:

• Participants will have access to QMU's learning resource center, online resources (e-books, journals), and limited online support from student services.
• The course is designed for individuals with little or no formal training in project evaluation.
• The course fee is £865.
• Free places are available for eligible applicants residing in Scotland with an undergraduate degree (or equivalent professional experience) who meet specific criteria related to employment or study status.
• The application deadline is Friday, December 15, 2023.