Asking better questions : workshop on qualitative methods

Course Content

Good policy making is grounded in the everyday realities of our public services. One of the most effective ways to uncover these is by asking good questions of people on the ground, and of yourself.

This workshop will teach you how to ask better questions through a toolkit of qualitative methods, including:

• ethnography

• interviews, and

• surveys

You will learn how to combine these methods to understand the perspective of systems and end users. You will also learn how to share qualitative findings in a way that makes them compelling and easily understood.

Who is this course for?

This workshop is suitable for all members of the VPS (recommended for VPS4-6).

Facilitators

The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) will facilitate this workshop.

• Dr. Karen Tindall is a Senior Advisor with BIT Australia, focusing on health, community resilience, and charitable giving. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University, in the field of public sector crisis management. Prior to joining the Behavioural Insights Team, Karen was a postdoctoral research fellow at the ANU Research School of Psychology. Her research focused on a social identity approach to behaviour change, in particular how group-based identities can inform behavioural science approaches to behaviour change in public policy.
  
  
• Cameron Tan is an Associate Advisor with BIT Australia. Before joining the team he was a Senior Copywriter at a leading digital marketing agency where he created integrated advertising campaigns and large online platforms for international companies working in financial services, hospitality, and retail. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Psychology.