Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor Markus Hadler markus.hadler@mq.edu.au Contact via markus.hadler@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 4
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to MPASR or PGDipPASR or PGCertPASR or MAppAnth or PGDipAppAnth or PGCertAppAnth or MPP or PGDipPP or PGCertPP or MIntPubDip
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit introduces students to policy evaluation and accounts for its place in the policy process and social sciences respectively. Students will acquire a knowledge of different approaches to evaluation as well as the ethical and political issues surrounding this process. The unit also focuses on how trends informing public sector management have an influence on the evaluation process and the actual implementation of evaluations.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

A practical introduction to evaluation methods & policy
Insight into theoretical accounts about evaluation and policy
Professionally useful skills in writing evaluation reports
Professionally useful data analysis skills

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Due
Participation	10%	Ongoing
Exam	35%	Week 7
Report	35%	Week 13
Presentation	20%	Ongoing

Participation

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%

Active participation in discussions and other activities

On successful completion you will be able to:

Insight into theoretical accounts about evaluation and policy
Professionally useful data analysis skills

Exam

Due: Week 7
Weighting: 35%

On successful completion you will be able to:

Insight into theoretical accounts about evaluation and policy

Report

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 35%

On successful completion you will be able to:

A practical introduction to evaluation methods & policy
Professionally useful skills in writing evaluation reports
Professionally useful data analysis skills

Presentation

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

On successful completion you will be able to:

A practical introduction to evaluation methods & policy
Insight into theoretical accounts about evaluation and policy
Professionally useful skills in writing evaluation reports
Professionally useful data analysis skills

Delivery and Resources

The course is offered in a two-hour seminar format, comprising a lecture, group discussion and practice based workshop each week.

The readings for each week can be accessed from e-reserve and/or iLearn. However we would recommend the following textbooks, that you may find useful for this course and as a resource for evaluation research more generally.

Fitzpatrick, Jody, et al. (2012) Program Evaluation. Alternative Approaches and Practical Guidelines (Fourth Edition) Pearson.
Owen, John (2006) Program Evaluation. Forms and Approaches (Third Edition) Allen & Unwin.

Unit Schedule

	Introduction
1	Introduction – What is Evaluation
	Evaluation Approaches
2	Expertise and Consumer Oriented and Program Oriented Approaches
3	Decision Oriented and Participant Oriented Approaches
	Policy and Stakeholders
4	Social Policy in Australia
5	Stakeholder Views and the Evaluation Process
6	Matching Stakeholder Views and the Evaluation Process: Examples
	Conducting a Policy Evaluation
7	Planning and Implementing an Evaluation
8	Conducting an Evalation
9	Conducting an Evalation
10	Conducting an Evalation
	The Impact of Evaluation
11	Report Writing
12	Report Writing
13	Study Week

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.