Aim : Supporting young people to make well-informed decisions about their future education
CFE Research ’ s 2020 Evidence Meta-Review 17 found :
“ Overall there is evidence from both the local and national evaluations to strongly indicate that a sustained , progressive and collaborative approach to outreach has a positive impact on short- to medium-term outcomes , including knowledge and awareness of higher education ( HE ) and learners ’ confidence to make informed decisions , as well as on their intentions towards HE .”
“ Reflecting the findings from Phase 1 of the national impact evaluation , the local evaluation evidence strongly indicates that multi-interventions delivering a coherent programme of activities to learners over time have a positive impact on learners ’ knowledge and awareness of HE . They are also found to contribute to learners having higher levels of confidence in their decisionmaking abilities .”
DANCOP annual survey analysis
DANCOP in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire matched baseline and 2018 / 19 survey responses of 1,090 learners from 55 wards , with year 9 and 10 students representing 71 % of the sample ; data was collected as part of the CFE national annual survey of Uni Connect partnerships .
Responses showed evidence of an increased desire to continue studying , increased selfbelief that they could go to University if they wanted to , and an increased likelihood to apply to do a higher education qualification in the future ( up from 45 % fairly or very likely at baseline to 59 % in 2018 / 19 ). Learners were also asked how much they knew about a range of aspects related to applying to higher education . The results indicate that engagement with DANCOP activity had a positive impact on the levels of knowledge learners feel they have about applying to higher education , with increases across all questions at end of programme stage . There was also an increase in the percentage of learners who agreed with several positive statements about their attitudes towards higher education between baseline and end of programme stage .
DANCOP 2018-19 Evaluation Report , Vicky Cotterill , December 2019 . How much do you know about the folllowing aspects of studying at higher education level ? A Little / A Lot
What student life would be like
How it leads to careers that you may be interested in
Baseline
The costs of study The financial support available
End of Programme The options about where to live whilst studying
The support available
17
Uni Connect : Evidence Meta- Review . A report for the Office for Students on the findings from the second call for local evaluation evidence ( October 2020 ). P1 . 13
53 %
57 %
62 %
64 %
75 % 74 %
77 %
82 %
83 % 82 %
89 % 90 %