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Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice

Online evaluation training for
arts, culture and heritage professionals

Our free-to-access online course will help you understand the principles and master the practice of carrying out evaluation in the arts, culture and heritage sector.

All course content is available now via the FutureLearn website. Start at any time. Register now to start learning.

Together with the University of Leeds, we have developed a free-to-access online course:

Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice.

This self-guided course offers the opportunity to hear from experts, develop new approaches and build your evaluation skills and confidence.

All course content is available via the FutureLearn online learning platform. Head to the FutureLearn website to register and gain full free access to the course for two weeks. Start at any time. 

Who is this evaluation skills course for?

  • Arts, culture and heritage sector professionals, managers and practitioners keen to learn more about the fundamentals of robust evaluation practice
  • Cultural sector senior leaders and board members
  • Freelance artists and practitioners
  • Early career arts and heritage sector professionals
  • Early career funders and policymakers
  • Students and academics interested in cultural management
Three people sat at a table with laptops and notebooks, laughing together

How long is the evaluation skills course?

All learners can access Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice via the FutureLearn online platform. Completing all six modules should take eight hours of study time.

The course content can be neatly divided across two weeks (four hours per week), allowing you to complete the course across FutureLearn’s two-week free-to-access period.

Want to take a little longer? Opting to upgrade or choosing FutureLearn’s subscription package allows you to study at your own pace, as and when you have the time.

What will I learn?

In Week One, you will focus on identifying the role, value and everyday challenges of evaluation in the cultural sector while exploring the principles and frameworks underpinning effective evaluation.

In Week Two, you will learn more about creative evaluation methods, develop an evaluation plan and identify how your organisation can continue to learn from evaluation.

Two people using a digital touch screen together in a museum
Person in red top, wearing glasses working at a computer

How much does it cost?

You can access the course for free for two weeks by creating an account on the FutureLearn website. During this time, you will be able to download all related resources.

Learners can upgrade the course to access additional benefits, including unlimited access to the course and a certificate upon completion. Learners can choose to upgrade and either pay a one-off fee to access this one course or opt to subscribe to FutureLearn, paying a monthly fee to access all eligible courses and learn at their own pace (cancel anytime).

What are learners saying about the course?

Red background with orange block design at the top. The text is a quote from a cultural practitioner who has done the course. It reads: “Absolute gamechanger of a course … This course has absolutely changed my thinking around evaluation and the power it has.”
Red background with orange block design at the top. The text is a quote from a cultural consultant who has done the course. It reads: “A very practical, straightforward and enriching course … It was flexible enough to fit in around other projects but in-depth enough to not just be a box-ticking exercise.”
Red background with orange block design at the top. The text is a quote from a local authority policymaker who has done the course. It reads: “I’m really excited to put what I learnt to use in my next project.”

Read more user reviews on FutureLearn.

Ready to find out more?

Discover more about Evaluation for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Principles and Practice and register for the course on the FutureLearn website.

You can also watch this video recording of the reflective workshop, which took place in autumn 2023. We invited participants to hear more about why we made the course, how its learning can be implemented and where we can be creative in our evaluation work.

How can we make evaluation more meaningful? Take a look at the Evaluation Principles which can help to ground and guide evaluation practice.

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