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Academic Year: | 2015/6 |
Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
Credits: | 6 |
Level: | Honours (FHEQ level 6) |
Period: |
Semester 2 |
Assessment Summary: | CW 100% |
Assessment Detail: |
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Supplementary Assessment: |
Coursework reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
Requisites: | |
Description: | Aims: The aims of the unit are to: i. Provide an overview of the principal approaches to policy evaluation. ii. Demonstrate how to apply these approaches to policy examples and to critically appraise evaluation evidence. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit the students should be able to * understand the role of evaluation in the policy cycle and the value of good policy evaluation; * compare and contrast the strengths of the different evaluation approaches and their uses in different settings; * be able to critically engage with and review evaluation evidence and understand the limitations of evaluation results; * design an evaluation project; and * write a project report. Skills: * To think creatively and analytically * To communicate an argument * To evaluate others' arguments and research * To learn independently and be able to assess own learning needs (i.e. identify strengths and improve weaknesses in methods of learning and studying). * To critically evaluate and assess research and evidence as well as a variety of other information. * To gather information, data, research and literature from a number of different sources (i.e. library, web-based, archives etc.). * To select appropriate and relevant information from a wide source and large body of knowledge. * To synthesise information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding. * To utilise problem solving skills. * Study & Learning skills (note taking, avoiding plagiarism, using the library, gathering and using information, constructing a bibliography, referencing) * Basic Information and Computing Technology skills (word processing, email, using the web to search for information) * Inter-personal and communication skills * Essay research, preparation and writing skills * To construct a bibliography of varying complexity * Time-management and administrative skills * Presentation skills and verbal communication (i.e. oral presentations, seminar and tutorial contributions). Content: Introduction: Why Evaluate? Evaluation in the Policy Process; Evaluation methods and approaches (1): Impact Evaluation / Counterfactual Analysis; Evaluation methods and approaches (2): Process Evaluation, Qualitative Evaluation, and Mixed Methods; Evaluation methods and approaches (3): Economic Evaluation / Cost-Benefit Analysis; Evaluation case studies: detailed studies of policy implementation and evaluation using relevant examples, informing formative group presentations and summative assessed reports. |
Programme availability: |
SP30286 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
SP30286 is Optional on the following programmes:Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
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