Category: Evaluation & Consultancy

Evaluation of OU Podcasts

Posted on by adrian@webdesigncity.co.uk

In 2007, the Open University (OU) sought to extend the reach of its science-based programme-making by establishing a rolling programme of innovative outreach activities, including a series of podcasts. 

Graphic Science was commissioned to evaluate the first of these podcasts.

We took a sample of Year 12 and 13 students (ages 17 – 18) who we recruited through a local sixth form centre.  We held a preliminary discussion with them about their attitudes to internet resources for both educational and leisure use.

The students were given a URL from which to download the podcast and asked to reconvene a week later, having listened to the podcast and also downloaded and listened to any other podcast of their choice.

The following week’s discussion focused on reactions to the podcast and suggestions for improvements, which fed into our report for the OU.

Evaluation workshops for Wellcome Trust centre Public Engagement staff

Posted on by Kathryn Warr

Graphic Science was asked by the Wellcome Trust to run practically-focussed evaluation workshops for the public engagement leads at each of the centres that receive strategic Wellcome Trust funding.

We consulted with staff from each of the centres to find out what would be most useful to them and then developed a highly interactive workshop that took them step by step through the process of planning, designing and analysing the data from an evaluation.

As part of this, we threaded through a real example of a project we had evaluated and encouraged participants to think about how they would approach a similar task and critique our approach.

“I found it very useful and the orientation – towards practical advice and hands-on exercises was spot-on.”

“Personally, I liked the relaxed delivery style of the trainers – they were happy to let the session wander off the planned agenda into group discussions, which were equally useful and helped the group start to form constructive relationships between different centres – contacts that I’m sure will be mutually helpful in years to come.”

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