sharon smith

Higher Education Access Tracker

Helping member universities to target,

monitor and evaluate Widening

Participation outreach programmes

Sharon Smith - Director of HEAT

Email: [email protected], Visit: www.heat.ac.uk

http://www.heat.ac.uk/


Widening Participation and the TEF

• to double the proportion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering university

• a whole lifecycle approach to all of these challenges, looking across access, retention, attainment and progression from HE.

• better focused expertise and a coordinated approach to making the most of the expenditure in this area.

• more outreach • to include incentives that reward institutions who do best at

retention and progression of disadvantaged students

HEAT members

Higher Education Access Tracker Service

Canterbury Christ Church University

University of Kent

Brunel University

City University

Goldsmiths University

Imperial College

Kings College

London Metropolitan

Middlesex University

QMUL

Ravensbourne

UCL

University of East London

University of Greenwich

University of West London

Buckinghamshire New University

Oxford Brookes University

University for the Creative Arts

University of Oxford

University of Reading

University of SurreyFalmouth University

University of Plymouth

Leeds Beckett University

Sheffield Hallam University

University of Hull

University of Sheffield

University of York

York St John University

Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts

University of Liverpool

Realising Opportunities

University of Newcastle

University of Northumbria

Southampton Solent University

University of Bournemouth

University of Chichester

University of Portsmouth

University of Southampton

University of Winchester

University Campus Suffolk

Bath Spa University

University of Bath

University of Bristol

University of Exeter

University of Brighton

University of Sussex

University of Cambridge

University of EssexUniversity of WarwickUniversity of Wolverhampton

University of Lancaster

University of Bedfordshire

Reflects membership as at 11th July 2016

University of Chester

University of Northampton

Manchester Metropolitan


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H e l p i n g u s e x p l o r e e v i d e n c e o f i m p a c t

Helping to evidence….

How effectively are we targeting outreach to WP students?

To what extent does outreach have an impact on student

attainment at KS4 or KS5?

What is the HE progression rate of outreach students

(compared to their peers)?

When should we start working with students to have the

most impact?

What framework of activities have the most impact on

progression rates?

How do our outreach participants perform in HE compared

to peers?

What is the destinations of outreach participants, post HE?

How has outreach engagement contributed to social

mobility


2017-18 OFFA guidance to universities:

More long-term outreach to increase participation

Nurture deeper relationships with schools & colleges

Working class males

Mature/Part-time students

Increase evidence of impact

Smarter spend

Address differential outcomes

Collaboration


“double the proportion of young people from

disadvantaged backgrounds entering

higher education by the end of the decade”Jo Johnson, Minister

there is evidence to suggest that most of the

“heavy lifting” in widening participation is

being done by less prestigious universities.

Times Education, 2016

It is nothing short of a scandal that the vast majority of work in our universities and colleges aimed at opening doors to students from low and middle income homes is not evaluated properly. We spend millions of pounds a year on

programmes to widen participation and broaden access into our academic elites;

yet we know very little about what impact most of these efforts are having. The Sutton Trust, Lee Eiliot Major

“Lack of rigorous research with RCTs

and controls”

“Faced with cuts, should we spend more on outreach delivery

rather than administering evaluation?”

“suspicions that higher education institutions

would rather data be kept secret as it would expose

their record on fair access”. The Independent 2015

“Work smarter with smarter spend”

OFFA

HEAT History


2004-2011 AimhigherSouth East

2011-2013 HEAT

(21 universities)

2014-2017

HEAT project roll-out

2017 –

HEAT self sustaining

Aimhigher legacy database and datasets

Sector owned, developed by the sector

Members with common aims:

Share monitoring and evaluation costs and

avoid duplication

Share best practice and collaborate in

research

Provide fit for purpose tools and information

Building evidence

Targeting

Target Setting

MonitoringEvaluating

Planning

HEAT Outputs


• Individual HEI and Collaborative delivery

1

2

3

4

5

6

7Student life

cycle

monitoring

Database

Advisory

• Data repository

• Reporting tool

• DfE

• Data Service (ILR)

• UCAS

• HESA

• School and college profiles

• KS4 and KS5

• UCAS applicant

• KS4 and KS5 trends

• UCAS institution trends

• UCAS track

• HESA track

• Participant profile

• Activity delivery

• Targeting

• Delivery planning

• Monitoring

• Evaluation Reporting

1

Research Observatory

- a common evaluation

framework

2

3

4

5

6

7Student life

cycle

monitoring

Database

Datasets

HEAT track: Participant Tracking

Advisory

HEAT

HEAT Database


John MaynardCharlie DarwinMinnie MouseHarry PotterEmma CourageHermoine Granger


Input from HEAT HEIs

Learner attitudes

and aspirations

Learner outreach engagement

Learner Characteristics

HEAT track – quantitative measures for longitudinal

analysis, negotiating data

sharing


HEAT track – understanding our participants and their progression

Input from HEAT HEIs

Learner attitudes

and aspirations

Learner outreach engagement

Learner Characteristics

Outreach participant

engaged once, aged 15

10 exchanges, first engaged age 11

Engaged with 3 universities, age 13-17

No outreach?



What happens to outreach participants in terms of progression?

• 30% of the outreach participants we work deliver outreach to in secondary schools go onto to FE colleges to study for a Level 3 qualification:


Key findings from HEAT track:

HE progression

National Q1-2 YPR

25%32%

HEAT Q1-2 YPR

HEAT participant success rates

Success, attainment & employment destinations…

Achieved first degree

84%

Achieved 1st or 2:1

64%

HEAT participants [2007-2013]

National average[2010]

Achieved first degree

82%

Achieved 1st or 2:1

65%

Single HE Talk only

…and the value of intensive WP

Achieved 1st / 2:1 (HEAT)

62%

Achieved 1st /2:1 (national)

60%

Moved up from parent NSSEC 4-8 to own NSSEC 1-3

77%

Employment Destinations of HEAT cohort after HE (NS-SEC levels)

Looking at Polar v3 Q1/Q2 only…

Comparing HEAT YPR to the national average [2011/2012]…

29% into HE

Multiple outreach including

summer school40% into HE

Multiple outreach including

Campus Visit34% into HE

Social Mobility



Contextualise the cohort to understand patterns of progression in relation to engagement


• Membership subscription

• Collaborative practice (with members, HEFCE

and OFFA)

• Democratic decision making, the HEAT vote

• Scaling up but maintaining communication

• Continued development of sustainable

membership service – third sector, differentiated

service, HEAT extra?

The Future of HEAT


HEAT advice

• Evaluation and proving impact is not without its challenges: collaborate, share

the load and reap the benefits together

• Thank you

sharon smith

Government & Nonprofit