Aw Research And Evaluation Strategy Case Study

ACW Research and Evaluation Strategy

Summary

Research and evaluation is the foundation to policy and project development. It is essential that public funds are spent on activities that provide the greatest possible cultural, economic and social return. We need to be able to explain, clearly and accurately, the impact that our investment is having in achieving our priorities.

The Arts Council of Wales is experiencing a time of change and one of the main drivers of this change is the increasing demand for and value placed on data. The key to successfully meeting this challenge is to become flexible in our approach towards research and evaluation.

The ACW has access to wide variety of quality data. At the same time the quantity of information

We must be able to demonstrate the public benefit that our work delivers, and the extent to which we’re helping to make Wales a better place to live and work.

We need to be able to explain, clearly and accurately, the impact that our investment is having in achieving our priorities of providing the greatest possible cultural, economic and social return.

The overarching Arts Council of Wales Research and Evaluation strategy sets out key principles needed to clearly and accurately explain the impact our investment is having both within Wales and internationally.

The Arts Council of Wales can meet the increasing demand for data by focusing on the key areas essential for producing quality statistics and evaluation.

Maximising the use of data – Data obtained and used by the Arts Council of Wales reaches maximum value by exploiting both internal and other data sources.

Shared methods – Data is obtained, used and disseminated by the Arts Council of Wales in a way which makes sharing and reusing easier. This includes harmonised standards, methods, processes and

We do, however, need to do more to make the best use of all types of data, whatever its source. We will aim to take opportunities to be more innovative by exploiting existing sources of research and evaluation and explore opportunities to access and use new sources. We will work collaboratively both within the Arts Council of Wales and externally across the public and cultural sector to achieve this to better support decision making and to better meet user needs.

Data Collection

Data collection is simply how information is gathered. Varying methodologies of data collection can be applied such as personal interviewing, telephone, mail and the Internet. Dependant on survey design, these methods can be used separately or combined. While primary data collection provides a wealth of information on specified topics these means can prove costly and time consuming.

Existing data

Increased and more effective use of internal Arts Council of Wales data has the potential to reduce reliance on survey collections, which enables the minimisation of burden and costs. However, some Arts Council of Wales data is not collected for statistical purposes, so there is a need to develop systems and processes for rigorously auditing its quality and better understanding how it can be used for