EUN659 Leading Evaluation
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUN659 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | EUZ659, LCN630 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $555 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $2,976 |
| International unit fee | $4,020 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUN659 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN630, EUZ659 |
| Coordinator: | Jill Willis | jill.willis@qut.edu.au |
Overview
In this unit, you will develop your knowledge of evaluation approaches, and how you can lead evaluation to improve educational quality. This unit will equip you with principles and practical tools to understand a range of practical evaluation approaches. You will understand different ways that educational policy is created, and evaluated in practical ways, as well as critically analyse the influence of evidence in accountability systems, evaluate values inherent in policies. Using real world scenarios, you will explore the concept of demonstrating impact, drawing on multiple forms of evidence in a range of educational contexts. By integrating the theory and practice, you will be equipped to critically understand and also design evidence-based plans for evaluation in educational contexts.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate mastery of a body of knowledge including recent developments in the field of leading evaluation (CLO1.1).
- Cognitive and critical reflection skills that demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and professional practice (CLO2.1).
- Demonstrate skills in investigating, analysing and synthesising complex information, problems, concepts and theories and application of established theories of evaluation to different bodies of knowledge or practice (CLO2.2).
- Demonstrate communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non specialist audiences (CLO 2.3).
- Demonstrate technical and communication skills relevant to leading evaluation, including the ability to analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship (CLO2.4).
- Demonstrate application of knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice related to leading evaluation (CLO3.1).
Content
In this unit you will explore the following topics from both a practical and critical perspective:
- Expectations of leaders in an evaluation cultures, especially implications for accountability and performativity.
- Evaluation approaches such as program, theory led, democratic, and culturally responsive evaluation.
- Principles underpinning ideas of evaluation, including validity, reliability, impact, effectiveness, intelligent accountability and theories of action.
- Understanding how evidence based policy is created, contested and enacted.
- Explore what can influence what evidence is valued in educational institutions, how evaluation systems influence cultures and the implications of new forms of evidence such as algorithmic or data dashboards.
- There will be a focus on foundational skills in creating evidence of impact.
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Student-centred, self-paced learning with a strong focus on learning through academic readings and activities that demonstrate application of theory to real world scenarios.
- Active participation in on-line collaborations and workshops.
- Accessing and sharing resources.
- Negotiating authentic assessment tasks for applying scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are encouraged to engage in self assessment through planned activities. Additionally formative feedback in this unit will include group level feedback on an early activity that is designed to support your learning and to provide a foundation for assessment. Feedback will also be provided through the criteria and standards of the summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
There are two pieces of written assessment for this unit. Both tasks provide opportunities for you to identify real world opportunities for evaluation. These tasks build on the unit’s core learning experiences and assess all unit learning outcomes.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critical essay
Negotiate an essay focus to show your critical understanding of the influence of evidence, and implications for leadership, in contexts of evaluation. For example:
- Critique how evidence is used in an organisation or policy, identifying risks and opportunities for leadership OR
- Create a ‘Best Evidence synthesis’ about what evidence is known about a particular educational policy topic and implications for leadership and publish it on LinkedIn OR
- Interview a leader about how evidence informs their leadership, and critically reflect on how evaluation cultures have shaped their leadership practice.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1
Assessment: Evaluation portfolio
Present a portfolio of artefacts that shows that you can plan to lead an evaluation in an educational context. The portfolio can either be for personal purposes such as evidence for a Highly Accomplished teacher portfolio or promotion application, or for public purposes to lead a group or system. In your portfolio, you will include:
- A description of the educational context you will evaluate and justify the evaluation approach that matches the context and purpose.
- A plan for generating evidence that reflects the evaluation intent.
- An example artefact to demonstrate what the evidence will look like.
- An argument for the validity of the evaluation and leadership approach, and
- A reflection on what you have found challenging as a leader in designing this plan.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Relevant resource materials will be available electronically through the unit Canvas site. Additional references for assessment can be found in the library. There is no prescribed textbook.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit.
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Online
| Unit code: | EUN659 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN630, EUZ659 |
Overview
In this unit, you will develop your knowledge of evaluation approaches, and how you can lead evaluation to improve educational quality. This unit will equip you with principles and practical tools to understand a range of practical evaluation approaches. You will understand different ways that educational policy is created, and evaluated in practical ways, as well as critically analyse the influence of evidence in accountability systems, evaluate values inherent in policies. Using real world scenarios, you will explore the concept of demonstrating impact, drawing on multiple forms of evidence in a range of educational contexts. By integrating the theory and practice, you will be equipped to critically understand and also design evidence-based plans for evaluation in educational contexts.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate mastery of a body of knowledge including recent developments in the field of leading evaluation (CLO1.1).
- Cognitive and critical reflection skills that demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and professional practice (CLO2.1).
- Demonstrate skills in investigating, analysing and synthesising complex information, problems, concepts and theories and application of established theories of evaluation to different bodies of knowledge or practice (CLO2.2).
- Demonstrate communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non specialist audiences (CLO 2.3).
- Demonstrate technical and communication skills relevant to leading evaluation, including the ability to analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship (CLO2.4).
- Demonstrate application of knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice related to leading evaluation (CLO3.1).
Content
In this unit you will explore the following topics from both a practical and critical perspective:
- Expectations of leaders in an evaluation cultures, especially implications for accountability and performativity.
- Evaluation approaches such as program, theory led, democratic, and culturally responsive evaluation.
- Principles underpinning ideas of evaluation, including validity, reliability, impact, effectiveness, intelligent accountability and theories of action.
- Understanding how evidence based policy is created, contested and enacted.
- Explore what can influence what evidence is valued in educational institutions, how evaluation systems influence cultures and the implications of new forms of evidence such as algorithmic or data dashboards.
- There will be a focus on foundational skills in creating evidence of impact.
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Student-centred, self-paced learning with a strong focus on learning through academic readings and activities that demonstrate application of theory to real world scenarios.
- Active participation in on-line collaborations and workshops.
- Accessing and sharing resources.
- Negotiating authentic assessment tasks for applying scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are encouraged to engage in self assessment through planned activities. Additionally formative feedback in this unit will include group level feedback on an early activity that is designed to support your learning and to provide a foundation for assessment. Feedback will also be provided through the criteria and standards of the summative assessment tasks.
Assessment
Overview
There are two pieces of written assessment for this unit. Both tasks provide opportunities for you to identify real world opportunities for evaluation. These tasks build on the unit’s core learning experiences and assess all unit learning outcomes.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Critical essay
Negotiate an essay focus to show your critical understanding of the influence of evidence, and implications for leadership, in contexts of evaluation. For example:
- Critique how evidence is used in an organisation or policy, identifying risks and opportunities for leadership OR
- Create a ‘Best Evidence synthesis’ about what evidence is known about a particular educational policy topic and implications for leadership and publish it on LinkedIn OR
- Interview a leader about how evidence informs their leadership, and critically reflect on how evaluation cultures have shaped their leadership practice.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1
Assessment: Evaluation portfolio
Present a portfolio of artefacts that shows that you can plan to lead an evaluation in an educational context. The portfolio can either be for personal purposes such as evidence for a Highly Accomplished teacher portfolio or promotion application, or for public purposes to lead a group or system. In your portfolio, you will include:
- A description of the educational context you will evaluate and justify the evaluation approach that matches the context and purpose.
- A plan for generating evidence that reflects the evaluation intent.
- An example artefact to demonstrate what the evidence will look like.
- An argument for the validity of the evaluation and leadership approach, and
- A reflection on what you have found challenging as a leader in designing this plan.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Relevant resource materials will be available electronically through the unit Canvas site. Additional references for assessment can be found in the library. There is no prescribed textbook.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with the general conduct of this unit.