At the start of the Uni Connect programme , robust experimental studies were extremely rare in the widening participation sector . A 2017 systematic review on the effectiveness of interventions and strategies for widening participation in higher education “ found no robust evaluations of UK-based interventions ”, and identified “ a pressing need for evidence on widening participation interventions in the UK context ” 20 .
Examples of Type 3 evidence 21 generated by partnerships include Hello Future ’ s The Scholars Programme . Three Randomised Control Trials ( RCTs ) were designed and implemented by five partnerships with the support of CFE and the BIT during Phase 1 , which evaluated both light-touch and more intensive outreach activities 22 .
Data collection
Areas where more evidence is needed
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Which outreach interventions work most effectively at different stages of the learner journey and the relative impact of individual activities that comprise multi-intervention programmes . Whether the immediate , positive impacts achieved as a result of outreach interventions are sustained in the longer term . The impact of outreach interventions on subgroups . The causal relationship between outreach interventions and outcomes for learners .
The annual survey of students in schools working with Uni Connect has generated three waves of over 60,000 responses about future plans , knowledge of and attitudes towards higher education , representing a considerable data set of almost 230,000 survey responses for analysis . This includes a cohort of students who participated in all three surveys . A fourth wave of the annual survey is taking place in Autumn / Winter 2020 / 21 .
20
Kirsty Younger , Louise Gascoine , Victoria Menzies & Carole Torgerson ( 2019 ) A systematic review of evidence on the effectiveness of interventions and strategies for widening participation in higher education , Journal of Further and Higher Education , 43:6 , 742-773 , DOI : 10.1080 / 0309877X . 2017.1404558
21
The Office for Students ’ three types of evaluation can be found at https :// www . officeforstudents . org . uk / advice-and-guidance / promoting-equalopportunities / evaluation / standards-of-evidence-and-evaluation-self-assessment-tool /
22
BOWES , Lindsey , TAZZYMAN , Sarah , SANDHU , Jatinder , MORETON , Rachel , BIRKIN , Guy , MCCAIG , Colin , MADRIAGA , Manuel , KOZMAN , Eliza and WRIGHT , Hazel ( 2019 ). The National Collaborative Outreach Programme . End of phase 1 report for the national formative and impact evaluations . Project Report . Office for Students . 20