social research

Sep 30 2022

Features of a good peer support program

Last week (19-25 September) was Dementia Action Week. Dementia impacts close to half a million Australians and almost 1.6 million Australians are involved in their care. I’m proud to working with Dementia Australia on an evaluation of their new Peer to Peer support program. Dementia Australia is the peak national body and charity for people, […]

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Feb 8 2021

5 tips for good survey design

As we emerge from the pandemic and start to evaluate COVID- response programs and initiatives, it’s likely that you may need to collect data in the form of online surveys. Online survey software is available to everyone at little or no cost. But if your survey is not well designed, the internal validity (accuracy) of […]

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Dec 7 2020

A successful and timely program model

The Australian live music industry was the first sector to be significantly impacted by COVID-19, when non-essential gatherings were banned in March. Eight months on, restrictions in Australia have eased and the live music industry is in recovery mode. At this significant time of rebuilding and recovery, targeted and tailored creative initiatives are more important […]

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May 4 2020

Save Your Survey

Do you work in the arts, cultural or not-for-profit sector in Australia’s regions and cities? If so, you’re no doubt  experiencing considerable stress at the moment, amidst a pandemic that has resulted in the cancellation of everything, accompanied by widespread job losses, not to mention Australia’s recent devasasting bushfire season. You may currently have important […]

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Mar 20 2020

From a distance. Evaluation in the era of social distancing

No one needs reminding we’re entering challenging financial times and need to practice social distancing. It’s possible that your evaluation plans may need to be pared back or reconfigured. But there are ways that your evaluation project can still be carried out without compromising its validity. 1. Modify the evaluation design Ask your evaluator if […]

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Aug 22 2019

The power of the pre-test / post-test

This week I visited my old school, Fort Street High in Petersham, Sydney. I wasn’t there for nostalgic reasons. Rather, I had the good fortune of sitting in on a documentary screening for Years 9 and 10 science students. Three hundred or so students filed into the hall to be shown the recently-released BBC documentary, […]

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May 2 2019

Collaborating with regional communities

It’s well understood now that arts and culture make regional Australia a better place. Communities thrive when people come together to share stories, reflect on a common history, and build social inclusion through arts and cultural activity. Last year NSF Consulting was commissioned by Regional Arts Australia to research and prepare a guidelines document to […]

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Jul 26 2017

Evaluation or research?

Sometimes research and evaluation can be confused or conflated, as I explain in my new online evaluation course for local government, which you can see here. When commissioning a project it is important to be clear about whether you require research or evaluation. Because, despite them being related and sharing some common approaches, they are […]

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Feb 26 2017

Evaluation on a shoestring

If you’ve ever wished you had more resources to conduct an evaluation, you’re not alone. But if you’ve ever felt you shouldn’t proceeded with commissioning an evaluation because of constraints on resources, think again.  Renowned American evaluator Michael Bamberger has written extensively about how to conduct evaluations with limited resources. He calls it a Shoestring […]

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Nov 28 2016

KPIs: Key Performance Indicators? Or perhaps not so key?

KPIs: Key Performance Indicators. Surely they’re the most relevant indicator when conducting an evaluation, right? KPIs are widely known and used in the business world. They are known as measurement values that demonstrate how effectively a company is achieving its key business objectives. KPIs are typically quantifiable measures that are used to track and assess […]

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