18 July 2022
A recent review of access, retention, attainment, and progression literature written by a team from Sheffield Hallam (Austen et. al. 2021) discussed the evidenced relationships between interventions and student outcomes. Knowing and understanding the demographics of a cohort and tracking outcomes over time were concerns, as was the description of how and why change occurs. At Sheffield Hallam, we recommend that all interventions which aim to impact of student outcomes are accompanied by a Theory of Change. An exploration of the context, assumptions and outcomes for these interventions is crucial for designing effective interventions. This evidence was used to commission, design and test an ‘Interventions Dashboard’. The dashboard contains demographic data, including trends in frequency of participation over time, and outcomes data, which compares the intervention cohort with the general population at Hallam and displays withdrawals (retention) and reasons for leaving, good honours, degree classifications, average module marks and if possible, graduate outcomes.
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