Evaluating Arts and Cultural Projects is a well-established course from QMU’s popular Arts, Festival and Cultural Management programme and is approved as a standalone micro-credential short course (20 credits). A limited number of FREE places are available now for arts and cultural sector professionals who live and work in Scotland.

This course begins by considering the social and political factors which mean it is increasingly expected that art and cultural projects should be evaluated. The focus will then shift to the practicalities of designing a project evaluation.

On completion, participants will be able to:
• Critically reflect on the challenges of evaluating small scale cultural project and how to overcome these.
• Create a theory of change for a small-scale cultural project.
• Discuss the pros and cons of different qualitative methods of data generation.
• Make decisions about the best ways to evaluate a small-scale cultural project.
• Design a project evaluation for a small-scale cultural project.

Starting in January 2024, the course runs for 15 weeks and is delivered in a blended format. This includes four in-person workshops on QMU’s campus in Musselburgh plus four hours of online seminars. You should also expect to spend two-three hours per week in self-study.

You will be studying these topics at Master’s level, and you will likely hold an undergraduate degree. Relevant professional experience that supports study at this level is also accepted.

Who is this course for?
This course is relevant for anyone whose role requires them to conduct and/or commission cultural project evaluations but has had little or no training in what makes a ‘good’ evaluation. It would also be suitable for those seeking to develop the skills necessary for them to conduct project evaluations on a freelance or consultancy basis.

How will you be assessed?
There are two assessments – 3000 word proposal for how to evaluate a cultural project and a 1000 word critical reflection on the challenges of evaluating projects in this sector.

Who will be teaching you?
The course is led by specialist tutors, Alice McGrath and Professor David Stevenson.

For further information, please contact ILO@qmu.ac.uk (Nicky Orr) or visit https://www.qmu.ac.uk/study-here/short-courses/short-courses/evaluating-arts-and-cultural-projects/