Quick Facts 

  Faculty: James Kim and Carrie Conaway (leads); various instructors with expertise in research methods and uses of evidence in education  Dates: August 14-25, 2023  Credits: 4  Estimated time per week: About 20-25 hours (2.5 hours of class time plus 2-3 hours of preparation per class)  Format: On-campus residential experience    Overview  Data matters. In a landscape where studies emerge each day, how do we become critical consumers of new information and distinguish myth from fact? How do we make decisions that generate the best possible outcomes for our learners? At HGSE, we know that education professionals need to understand how to gather evidence, how to evaluate evidence, and how to best deploy it in service of improving learner outcomes. Evidence introduces the most common types of research evidence—both qualitative and quantitative—and also poses fundamental questions about what “counts” as data at all. The course focuses on evaluating the quality and relevance of research evidence, which requires you to understand how to:  

• Organize evidence by questions, use, and research paradigms   
• Learn frameworks for assessing the quality of evidence   
• Apply these frameworks in case-based discussions  

   Through team-based learning, you will consider what makes for stronger or weaker evidence of various types and practice using evidence to inform decisions rooted in authentic educational problems of practice. Evidence is a 4-credit course that will take place over 10 days in mid-to-late August.