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DEMO - Evaluating Widening Participation activities: a beginner’s c

Daniel Todd

Created on February 3, 2026

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DEMO

Evaluating Widening Participation Activities:

A beginner’s course for widening participation practitioners in higher education

Welcome

Who we are

DEMO

You..

Cosmos Ltd

NERUPI

Who are you and what is your role? Link to poll / QR Code / Slido Window pops up with live answers?

With over 3 decades of insight and educational impact, Cosmos works with the education sector to improve student access, recruitment and outcomes.

NERUPI is a partnership of over 70 higher education organisations working together to create a new approach to evaluation using the framework developed by Annette Hayton, University of Bath and Dr Andrew Bengry, Bath Spa University.

Course Overview

DEMO

Outline of THE course

BENEFITS OF THE course

Three two-hour online sessions

Two online modules to be completed in between the sessions

These will take about xx hours each and you can complete them at your own pace

Session 1 What is WP evaluation?

Session 2 Getting started with evaluation (online module)

Session 3 Evaluation in practice

Session 4 Evaluation methods and processes (online module)

Session 5 Stitching it all together

DEMO

Before we begin

This session is being recorded

We will be using live captions

Please feel free to use the chat and the virtual feedback during this event

Discussion and break out sessions will be included in this session so please do take part

Please have cameras and mics on if possible during discussion

  • If that’s not possible please join in via the chat
  • Please turn-off mics during presentations

Online modules, some recordings and other resources will be made available on Engage after the event - we will let you know when they are ready

Session 1

DEMO

What is WP evaluation?

  • Find out about the context for widening participation activities
  • Engage with evaluation and the key concepts involved
  • Start to build confidence and understanding of basic evaluation principles and techniques
  • Understand how evaluation can improve activities

BEGIN

DEMO

Breakout Rooms

Discussion: Why do some people do well at school or go on to higher education and not others?

DEMO

The Attainment Gap

80%

Danny

Josh

AGE 5

Danny

Josh

AGE 7

Danny

Josh

AGE 19

Danny

Josh

AGE 11

Danny

Josh

AGE 16

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Age 5 (good level of development)

Age 7 (reading)

Age 11 (reading, writing and maths)

Age 16 (good English and maths GCSE)

Age 19 (two or more A levels)

Attainment gaps between students eligible and not eligible for free school meals at different stages of the education system, 2019. IFS Education Report

DEMO

Percentage of young people aged 18 to 20 years in the UK studying for degree-level qualifications, 2022, by SEB.

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
34%
29%
32%
37%
47%
21%
10%
0%

Lower Working

Higher Working

Intermediate

Lower Professional

Higher Professional

Total

Socio-economic background

DEMO

There is an attainment gap between pupils from lower income families and others.

Percentage of students achieveing a 'good level of development' at age 5 years by eligibility for FSM in England, from the 2012 to 2013 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

2018/19

2019/20

2021/22

2022/23

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2020/21

Eligibile for free school meals

Eligibile for free school meals

Total

DEMO

The APP Quiz

What is an APP?

BEGIN

DEMO

Question 1/4

Higher Education Providers (HEPs) such as universities that charge higher fees have to submit Access and Participation Plans (APPs) for widening participation to the Office for Students (OfS)

Next question

DEMO

Question 2/4

If HEPs do not get their APP agreed by the OfS they cannot charge the higher fee.

Next question

DEMO

+ info

Our NERUPI Universities

+ info

Continue

+ info

DEMO

Popplebridge University Access and Participation Plan Targets 2024 – 2029
  • We will continue to offer non-repayable bursaries of £3000 a year to undergraduates from low participation neighbourhoods Q1 and 2, IMD Q1, low income families and students who are care experienced
  • We will expand our outreach initiatives to widen access to higher education and increase the proportion of undergraduates eligible for Free School Meals at Key Stage 4 (from 7% to 15%) and from low participation neighbourhoods
  • We will reduce the degree awarding gap for Black students from 16% to 5%
  • We will eliminate the continuation gap for Black students and students from low participation neighbourhoods Q1 and 2
  • We will eliminate the gap in progression to graduate-level employment or further study for students from minoritized ethnic groups, students from low-income families and students with disabilities

Back

DEMO

+ info

Our NERUPI Universities

+ info

Continue

+ info

Approaches to Measuring

DEMO

Attainment Raising Example

Short term benefits

Medium term benefits

Longer term benefits

Key stage attainment results against matched or constructed comparison group

Can we identify improvement in attainment above what might be expected?

HEAT Tracking

Longer term

Academic self-efficacy Sense of belonging (pre and post-entry) Cognitive strategies Critical thinking HE Knowledge (perceptions) HE aspirations

Was there a shift in participants' propsects linked to factors correlated with improved attainment?

TASO survey scales for validation

Intermediate

Immediate (post activity)

NERUPI Question Bank

Did the activity generate the desired benefit(s) that aligns with the activity learning outcomes?

Engagement in learning New expertise / knowledge Application of knowledge Social capital Imagined futures Self belief

Timing

Tool

Research question

Constructs

Research Methods Overview

DEMO

Quantitative

Quantitative and Qualitative data have distinctive features. Both types of data can be used in evaluation in complementary ways.

Qualitative

FSM Map

DEMO

Percentage of FSM-eligible pupils achieving a pass (grade 5 or above) in both GCSE English and aths by ITL2 region in England, in the 2022 to 2022 academic year

HOP

A.R.U

Boys Project

Complete in your Padlet!

Traveller Initiative

DEMO

FSM Map

HOP

A.R.U

Boys Project

Complete in your Padlet!

Traveller Initiative

DEMO

FSM Map

HOP

A.R.U

Boys Project

Complete in your Padlet!

Traveller Initiative

DEMO

Popplebridge runs a popular day for local schools on campus...

+ info

Your Choice: GCSE & Careers for Year 9

ABOUT

For local schools To help learners understand how GCSEs affect their choices post-16

DEMO

Popplebridge runs a popular day for local schools on campus...

+ info

Your Choice: GCSE & Careers for Year 9

ABOUT

LEGACY METRICS

For local schools To help learners understand how GCSEs affect their choices post-16
They evaluated through a pre- and post questionnaire

DEMO

Popplebridge runs a popular day for local schools on campus...

+ info

Your Choice: GCSE & Careers for Year 9

ABOUT

THE DISCREPANCY

LEGACY METRICS

For local schools To help learners understand how GCSEs affect their choices post-16
They evaluated through a pre- and post questionnaire
The data wasn't as it first seemed

DEMO

Popplebridge runs a popular day for local schools on campus...

+ info

Your Choice: GCSE & Careers for Year 9

THE SOLUTION

Based on the new evidence the team adapted the day and the included activities. In year 2 - their quiz results were...

ABOUT

THE DISCREPANCY

LEGACY METRICS

82%

For local schools To help learners understand how GCSEs affect their choices post-16
They evaluated through a pre- and post questionnaire
The data wasn't as it first seemed

DEMO

Evaluating Widening Participation Activities:

A beginner’s course for widening participation practitioners in higher education

Workshop 1COMPLETE

LEGACY METRICS

Before they made changes, here's how their poist evaluation data looked...

83%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of the different qualifications after GCSEs

76%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of which qualifications you need for different jobs

To see if these thoughts were true, the evaluation team suggested adding in a quiz to test the knowledge of HE, rather than only relying on self reported evidence

LEGACY METRICS

Before they made changes, here's how their poist evaluation data looked...

83%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of the different qualifications after GCSEs

76%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of which qualifications you need for different jobs

To see if these thoughts were true, the evaluation team suggested adding in a quiz to test the knowledge of HE, rather than only relying on self reported evidence

THE DISCREPANCY

The results of the tests brought up a discrepancy in their data...

64%

Only 64% of responses in the quiz at the end were correct

Group discussion What should the team do?

Mixed methods research is methodologically eclectic research which collects and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data. This data can be integrated at various levels and stages of the study, concurrently in a single study or in a sequence of studies.

LEGACY METRICS

Before they made changes, here's how their post evaluation data looked...

83%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of the different qualifications after GCSEs

76%

of participants thought that the activity improved their understanding of which qualifications you need for different jobs

To see if these thoughts were true, the evaluation team suggested adding in a quiz to test the knowledge of HE, rather than only relying on self reported evidence

Mixed methods research is methodologically eclectic research which collects and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data. This data can be integrated at various levels and stages of the study, concurrently in a single study or in a sequence of studies.

aka Poppleville

  • converted from a polytechnic to a university in 1993
  • appears somewhere in the middle of university
  • limited funding from research
  • income dependent on attracting enough students
  • Inclusive entry requirements
  • diverse student body with strong local recruitment
  • professional and vocational programmes with positive graduate outcomes
  • retention challenging for under-represented groups
  • unexplained awarding gaps and progression gaps, particularly between white and black students
  • a small specialist provider for the creative industries
  • offers further and higher education level courses in art and design, performance and media
  • very prestigious with a long history, being established in 1926 as an art college but not as a university
  • received degree awarding powers in 2014
  • staff generally artists in their own right with their own professional practice
  • entry is highly competitive based more on artistic talent than exam grades
  • students from Quintile 1-2 postcode areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are underrepresented

Quantitative

Quantitative data: Seeks to quantify a phenomenon with the aim of looking for patterns, trends and correlations, or to test for causality and generalisability.

  • How many?
  • To what extent
  • How oftern?

There is an attainment gap between pupils from lower income families and others:

  • At age 5 there is a 20% gap between children on Free School Meals and others
  • At GCSE there is 27% gap between children on Free School Meals and other getting Grade 5 in Maths and English
Pupil premium funding is allocated schools based on the number of:
  • Pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals
  • Children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care
  • Children and young people of service families, referred to as service pupil premium (SPP)
Ofsted looks at the attainment of Pupil Premium students Parents also look at data about school

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2024-local-to-national-mapping-opportunities-for-all/chapter-2-mobility-since-last-year#compulsory-school-age-age-5-to-16-years

  • a small specialist provider for the creative industries
  • offers further and higher education level courses in art and design, performance and media
  • very prestigious with a long history, being established in 1926 as an art college but not as a university
  • received degree awarding powers in 2014
  • staff generally artists in their own right with their own professional practice
  • entry is highly competitive based more on artistic talent than exam grades
  • students from Quintile 1-2 postcode areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are underrepresented
  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer
  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer

Qualitative data: Used to discover details that help to explain behaviour with the aim of creating a rich interpretation of people's perceptions and reflections.

  • In what way
  • How?
  • Why?

Qualitative

Access and participation plans set out how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.

By the end of the course, participants will have:
  • Increased understanding of why evaluation is important, including how it supports access and widening participation goals.
  • Greater awareness of the benefits of evaluation for your own professional practice and institutional outcomes.
  • Clarity on how you can support and engage in evaluation activities, both independently and collaboratively.
  • Insight into the wider benefits of effective evaluation, including enhanced decision-making, programme design, and policy influence.
  • Skills to achieve greater engagement and impact from students through more responsive and evidence-informed practice.
  • Strategies for making evaluation more efficient – maximising impact while minimising time and resource demands.
  • A strengthened role in data collection, with knowledge of practical approaches and ethical considerations.
  • Understanding of how to embed evaluation into programme delivery, making it a sustainable and integrated practice.
  • Confidence in ensuring rigour and reliability in data collection
  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer
  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer

Cosmos

Insights shaped by over 100,000 student voices

We combine three decades of experience, practical expertise, and insight from over 100,000 students to inform strategies that are rooted in evidence and grounded by lived experience. In a landscape where teams are stretched, data is often overwhelming, and student needs are constantly evolving, we bring clarity and momentum. With our work known for being rigorous, practical, and ready to use.

https://cosmosltd.uk/

Network for Evaluating and Researching University Participation Interventions

NERUPI

NERUPI* is a community of practice for those seeking to reduce inequalities in higher education access, participation and progression. With more than 70 member organisations we are able to share our expertise and explore new approaches to evaluating the impact of interventions in this complex and evolving area. NERUPI members work with the The NERUPI Framework to plan, develop and evaluate their programmes and activities. With clear aims and objectives based on both theory and practice - a praxis approach - it provides a sound basis for improving practice in teams across the student lifecycle from outreach to student success to graduate progression.

The NERUPI Framework

  • The NERUPI Framework sets out defined aims and outcomes which are the key to effective evaluation
  • Combining theory and practice the Framework identifies the key elements of a WP programme or individual activity
  • Clear aims, objectives and outcomes provide a common language for WP professionals, academic staff and teachers engaged in developing and delivering activities
  • With objectives and learning outcomes grouped into different levels the Framework can encompass activities for all age groups

https://www.nerupi.co.uk/

THE DISCREPANCY

The results of the tests brought up a discrepancy in their data...

64%

At the end of year 1 - only 64% of responses in the quiz were correct

Group discussion What should the team do?

  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer

aka Poppleville

  • converted from a polytechnic to a university in 1993
  • appears somewhere in the middle of university
  • limited funding from research
  • income dependent on attracting enough students
  • Inclusive entry requirements
  • diverse student body with strong local recruitment
  • professional and vocational programmes with positive graduate outcomes
  • retention challenging for under-represented groups
  • unexplained awarding gaps and progression gaps, particularly between white and black students
  • older, established university with strong research base
  • near the top of UK university league tables.
  • subjects offered largely academic
  • traditional approach to curriculum and pedagogy
  • majority white middle class students and staff
  • degree awarding gaps
  • underrepresented groups don’t feel they belong
  • working hard to diversify its intake
  • challenge to recruit from local schools and colleges
  • reviewing curriculum and pedagogy
  • refocussing student support offer
  • working with SU to review social offer