Module overview
Evaluating Widening Access and Participation Initiatives (2) is the fourth module in the Postgraduate Certificate in Widening Participation and Evaluation. It will build on module two in particular, which considers the importance of evaluation design in the foundational stages of intervention planning, utilising the Theory of Change methodology. The focus of this module is to add practical value to the conceptual perspectives of module two, by contemplating appropriate research methods to be used in certain types of evaluation. It will also help you to consider the ethics of both your initiatives and evaluation design, which is the focus of the assessment. Finally, you will explore dynamic ways within which to present findings and disseminate within the sector, simultaneously raising your profile and network.
Similar to module three, this module will be introduced at the learning retreat offered at the beginning of semester two but the substantive content will be delivered in the second half of the second semester. You will be encouraged to share your current evaluation practices with other learners on the course to support in the sharing and learning of good practice.
In this second evaluation module, you will explore a range of research methods to use as a toolkit for designing your measures of evaluation in both your assessments and future practice, which will contribute towards your summative, programme level assessment, accommodated within module five. In so doing, you will learn to reflect on the validity of how you plan to examine change mechanism pathways in the assessment undertaken at the end of semester one. You will begin to reflect on the ethical considerations of your practice and its evaluation, learning to write an appropriate ethics
application for use in your home institution, as a piece of summative assessment for the module. Finally, you will also be supported in how best to share the results of your endeavours in a way that will benefit the understanding of the sector and simultaneously raise your personal profile. By the end of the module, you will feel confident that your approach to WP evaluation not only satisfies the Office for Students’ regulatory requirements but significantly adds value to the efficacy of your actions and, ultimately, the access and participation of students from underrepresented backgrounds.