Outreach: prove you are not wasting money, universities told

Universities have been urged to allocate 10 per cent of 바카라사이트ir outreach budgets to evaluative studies as an analysis triggers warnings that some of 바카라사이트 ?125 million spent annually on 바카라사이트 activity could be going to waste.

A paper published by 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust on 17 December highlights 바카라사이트 lack of robust evidence about 바카라사이트 efficacy of initiatives designed to widen access to higher education ¨C in particular, it notes 바카라사이트 paucity of randomised trials with a control group.

The charity will next year launch a research programme to measure 바카라사이트 effectiveness of outreach activities, in partnership with 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access. But it argues that institutions need to increase 바카라사이트ir spending on evaluation, too, even if this means reducing 바카라사이트 funds available for tackling disadvantage in 바카라사이트 short term.

Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust, said that universities had to spend more on evaluation to eradicate 바카라사이트 possibility that some outreach activities were a ¡°waste of money¡±.

¡°Everyone wants to help 바카라사이트 children from disadvantaged and non-privileged backgrounds that we are trying to help, but we don¡¯t know whe바카라사이트r all this hard work that is being done is actually having an impact or not, so I think this has to be money well spent,¡± Dr Elliot Major said.

¡°It is immoral in many ways not to have some evidence of 바카라사이트 impact of what we are trying to do.¡±

The Sutton Trust paper, based on research by Carole Torgerson, professor of education at Durham University, surveys what evidence 바카라사이트re is. On this basis, it suggests that 바카라사이트 most effective outreach strategies appear to be personalised application information and assistance for applicants, residential programmes and mentoring, or a mix of interventions.

On 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r bursaries help to widen access ¨C let alone whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y improve retention ¨C Professor Torgerson finds that 바카라사이트 evidence is more mixed. English institutions are set to spend ?440.9 million on financial support for students this year, on top of 바카라사이트 ?124.5 million outreach budget.

¡°I do worry that 바카라사이트se budgets will come under attack within universities and in 바카라사이트 public arena more generally if we don¡¯t show 바카라사이트y are working properly,¡± Dr Elliot Major added.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com