Making evidence work: a framework for monitoring, tracking and evaluating widening participation activity across the student lifecycle

Abstract

The need for a robust evidence base able to demonstrate the impact of widening participation activity across the student lifecycle has been emphasised in recent guidance to the higher education sector. However, with competing demands on their time this is likely to represent a challenge for practitioners. Yet, there is wide recognition of the need for a more sophisticated understanding of which interventions are most effective at securing student access to and success in higher education. This paper introduces a framework designed to guide practitioners in considering how this can be achieved. Informed initially by desk research, the framework depicts how widening participation targets and milestones, and the interventions for achieving these, can be mapped against monitoring, tracking and evaluation activity. As planning tools, frameworks have recognised limitations, notably in reflecting the views and language used by those who compile them. To counter this the insights of a number of access professionals were sought. Whilst these confirmed the framework’s potential, they also highlighted further developments. The framework depicted in this paper has sought to embrace these ideas and, in consequence, it is hoped that it will be of value across the sector.

Keywords:

• Widening participation
• monitoring
• tracking
• evaluation
• planning

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the participants of the conference workshop for their very helpful feedback, as well as the individual practitioners for their time and expertise in reviewing and commenting on an early version of the framework.