About the course
Our Evidence in Public Policy online programme is an intensive eight-week course which gives you the unique opportunity to hone the critical skills needed to design and implement policies informed by facts rather than opinion or instinct. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to evaluate the impact and implementation of policies within the context of your own role, an ability which will have an immediate impact on your career.
The course is focused on the following areas:
- how to use evidence to evaluate the impact(s) of policy
- how to apply evidence to policy decisions
- how policymakers gather and generate evidence in practice
- understanding the demand for evidence-based policy evaluation to be a greater priority in public policy organisations, globally.
This course is created and taught by experts from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
There will be intakes in May, July and October. Enrolment for July closes on 23 July with the course beginning on 24 July.
Is the course right for you?
The course is designed for those who need to be able to evaluate the impact of policies. You should consider this master-level course if:
- you are an early- to mid-career civil servant who wants to know more about the benefits and application of statistics to provide evidence for the impact of policy in your community, region or country;
- you are an experienced professional in an NGO or international organisation who aspires to better decision-making in government and public policy, or a civil servant looking to specialise in evidence and statistics;
- you are running for office or are already in office anywhere in the world, this course could help the development of your public policy planning.
Course outline
You will study eight modules over the course of eight weeks. It is a collaborative learning process, week-by-week, so you will have ample opportunity to discuss key policy topics with your peers and a Course Facilitator.
- Module 0: Course welcome and narrative
- Module 1: Introduction and key concepts
- Module 2: Causality and randomised control trials
- Module 3: Causality without randomised control trials
- Module 4: Wrapping up the methods
- Module 5: Aggregating and finding evidence
- Module 6: External validity and applicability of evidence
- Module 7: Practicalities: designing monitoring systems and impact evaluations
- Module 8: Submission of assignment
Learning support and outcomes
In addition to learning from our expert world-leading academics, you will also benefit from a Course Facilitator who will provide academic guidance throughout your learning journey – from beginning to end.
The Facilitator will:
- comment on weekly discussions on specific topics
- provide feedback on all project tasks
- give comments and feedback on all activities throughout.
Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate which will support your career in real terms. You will undertake an independent project which you can take into your workplace, potentially creating an immediate impact on your organisation.
Your work on this course will bring theory to life through practical examples which you can apply to your own role:
- weekly projects
- case studies
- discussion forums
- practical exercises.
Advantages of studying online
Study from anywhere
Taught 100% online, you can benefit from the Blavatnik School of Government’s expert teaching, from anywhere in the world.
Learn from the best
You’ll be taught by the world’s top academics and study alongside peers who are passionate about making an impact on policy around the world.
24-hour access to learning material
The EdX-delivered learning platform is easy to use, easy to navigate and accessible via your computer, tablet or mobile phone, 24 hours a day.
