Current Evaluation and Research Topics

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

It is recommended that students have completed EDUC90713 Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches, or be enrolled concurrently in or have completed EDUC90850 Foundations of Evaluation.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

In this subject, students will focus on developing the skills and knowledge needed to effectively evaluate emerging topics, issues, and approaches throughout their evaluation careers. To this end, we will explore and evaluate a series of topics that have recently emerged in research and evaluation, and/or recent developments in existing approaches, practices, and methods. The first 4 weeks of the subject will be led by the instructor, other experts, and current Masters by Research and PhD students presenting on key topics. The final 4 weeks will be focused on student research projects, either in teams or as indivduals, to evaluate, and report on current topics of their choice.

In addition to content knowledge in the topic areas, students will gain experience conducting peer marking; reviewing, evaluating, and synthesizing literature; and using technology to disseminate information. Students who choose to do so will have the opportunity to gain experience working in teams.

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• discuss a variety of new and emerging topics within evaluation
• analyse their own professional development needs with regard to new and developing areas in evaluation
• create and execute a plan to learn about a topic or area, including evaluating sources of data
• synthesise and present information about the topic, and
• evaluate its fit in the evaluator's practice.

• Class exercises (~1500 words total) during weeks 1-5 (30%)
• Project proposal and rationale ~700 words, mid term (15%)
• Written task ~3000 words, due at the end of term (55%)
• Peer review of other students' work, mid term, hurdle requirement

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.