Enhancing Widening Participation Evaluation through the development of a self-assessment tool for practitioners: Learning from the Standards of Evaluation Practice (Phase 2) project 2017-2019

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Open University via the DOI in this recordThe ultimate goal of widening participation work, that unites policy makers, practitioners and academics, is to enhance outcomes for disadvantaged students in HE access, success and outcomes. This article presents the Office for Students (OfS) commissioned project ‘Understanding effective evaluation of the impact of outreach interventions on access to higher education: Phase Two’. This project sought to create a step-change in robustness of evidence used and evaluation practices. Our 2017-19 project explored evaluation practices among nine partner organisations drawn from higher education providers (HEPs) and third sector partners. The initial aim was to pilot test the Standards of Evidence developed during Phase One research, to share practices that work and highlight examples of best practice. As the project developed, a further outcome of the project was envisaged through ongoing discussions between the OfS, academics, HEPs and third-sector parties: a self-assessment tool for evaluation practitioners. This tool provides a framework and guidance which allows practitioners to map their own evaluation approaches. Through using prompts, the five dimensions of the tool highlight strengths and weaknesses of evaluation within five domains (strategic context, programme design, evaluation design, evaluation design and learning). This new tool is in effect a five point framework setting guidance about good evaluation practice. It was rolled out to all HEPs in spring 2019 when providers were invited to return the completed tool and their reflection as part of their Access and Participation planning.Office for Fair Access (OFFA