In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, ensuring effective interventions that promote access and participation for students from all backgrounds is crucial. Against the backdrop of increasing challenges – ranging from structural barriers to the cost of living crisis – understanding what works and why is more important than ever.
But what makes an intervention ‘effective’, and how can we demonstrate this? Our upcoming ‘How to evaluate’ training series (November–December 2024 at Nesta, 58 Victoria Embankment, London) is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to assess and showcase the effectiveness of your interventions.
As the Office for Students continues to emphasise the importance of robust evaluation in access and participation, this series is a timely opportunity packed with sessions, practical tools, and expert insights that meet the required evidence standards.
Understanding evaluation: Types of evidence
Robust evaluation is the cornerstone of determining what works in higher education. When evaluating an intervention, evidence can either show an association with positive outcomes or demonstrate a direct causal impact. At TASO, our mission is to support you in generating more causal evidence, helping to identify the most effective activities and approaches.
For professionals working in roles focused on access, participation, or student success, effectively evaluating your interventions to discover what truly works is now more important than ever.
Type 1 – Narrative: A clear narrative explaining why an activity is expected to be effective, often based on prior research or evaluation.
Type 2 – Empirical Enquiry: Data indicating that an activity is associated with better student outcomes.
Type 3 – Causality: A method demonstrating that an activity has a direct causal impact on student outcomes.
Type 3 evaluations offer greater confidence than Type 2 because they utilise more robust methodologies, including experimental or quasi-experimental designs.
A comprehensive agenda
For this training series, we’ve curated a programme to help you develop the skills and knowledge necessary to create robust evaluation plans that generate evidence on what works.
Register now to secure your place and take the next step in advancing your evaluation expertise.
Mapping success: Kickstarting your evaluation with a theory of change | 14 November
Assessing process: Running a successful implementation and process evaluation (IPE) | 20 November
Measuring change: Planning and conducting empirical evaluations based on correlational evidence | 26 November
Exploring causal impact evaluation without randomisation: Quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) | 4 December
Exploring causal impact evaluation with randomisation: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) | 11 December
Networking and collaboration opportunities
The ‘How to evaluate’ training series also provides valuable opportunities for networking. Forge connections, hear from experts, and share experiences with peers from across the UK higher education sector.
Use your time out of the office effectively – develop a thorough understanding of the evaluation process, learn about causal evidence, and discover how to use evidence from evaluations to make informed decisions.
Join us at Nesta, 58 Victoria Embankment, London, this November and December to improve your evaluation skills, learn from experts, and connect with peers.