News and blog

Alisha Collins, Senior Communications and Engagement Officer at TASO, reflects on how this year’s annual conference has been shaped by the sector – for the sector. From launching a new Events Advisory Group to introducing peer-driven formats like Home Groups and a sector-wide Poster Session, Alisha shares how collaboration and shared challenges are driving a fresh approach to evaluation conversations in 2025.

Luke Arundel discusses making an impact at scale, as part of TASO’s project with the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Exogeneity. The project supports a new initiative to scale behavioural insights, building on a previous study to turn evidence into action.

Tatjana Damjanovic introduces TASO’s upcoming resource–the Higher Education Evaluation Library (HEEL)–which aims to bring together evaluations on access, participation, and student success in one easy-to-use, searchable platform to support a culture of shared learning and improve practices across the sector.

Pete Crowson, Evaluation Manager at TASO, teases a new tool designed to take the stress and confusion out of building a theory of change. Whether you’re staring down a blank page or wrestling with templates, TASO’s upcoming interactive tool will guide you step-by-step – from initial idea to fully-formed Enhanced ToC.

Demonstrating that an intervention works requires estimating both the actual outcomes and the counterfactual – what would have happened without the intervention. Dr Rob Summers discusses methods including randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs and matching.

Join us at our 2025 annual conference in April for practical sessions, sector insights and peer-to-peer learning

Today, TASO has published new research, carried out by the Rees Centre, examining how people with experience of children’s social care enter and progress through higher education.

We are seeking to appoint independent evaluators to work with higher education providers to run randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) to test the impact of student success interventions in higher education.

TASO is seeking to appoint independent evaluators to work on randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs to understand the student experience

Michael Sanders and Julia Ellingwood discuss TASO’s new report on student mental health, highlighting the continued rise in mental health difficulties and the widening disparities for LGBTQ+ students. They argue that universities must do more to provide targeted support as the crisis deepens.

Today, TASO has published a new report highlighting the concerning growth of student mental health difficulties, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. We found that reported mental health challenges have tripled since 2018, which we estimate equates to approximately 300,000 UK undergraduates.

Pete Crowson, Evaluation Manager at TASO, shares how a theory of change (and a shift in mindset) helped him break out of a slump—and why understanding the mechanics of change is just as crucial in student success as it is in personal goals. He also teases a new TASO tool designed to help build a robust Enhanced Theory of Change—without the headache.