Session 23: Workshop: Improving impact reporting: a gameplay approach to understanding theory of change

Abstract

This workshop offers an opportunity for colleagues involved in Access and Participation Plan (APP) and broader student experience activities to engage with the game ‘Change Busters’. Through gameplay, participants will enhance their understanding of the stages of a Theory or Change (ToC). The game aims to facilitate better intervention and evaluation design, ultimately contributing to better student outcomes.

Regulation of equality of opportunity, as mandated by the Office for Students (OfS) through the new wave of Access and Participation Plans (2024-2029), emphasises the importance of clear and robust evidence of which interventions are working, and why. Additionally, providing impact evidence of initiatives aimed at enhancing the student experience is also a critical component of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Our recent excellent TEF score indicated that providing more robust impact evidence could lead us to achieve a gold rating. Thus, it is evaluation must form an integral part of interventions designed to enhance the student experience.

A key tool to support intervention design and impact evaluation is the Theory of Change (ToC) model. A ToC provides a structured approach to outline how specific interventions are expected to lead to desired changes. It helps to define the challenges being addressed, the intended outcomes, and the activities planned to achieve these outcomes. Integrating both process and impact evaluations, and establishing measures of success for each stage, ToC can significantly strengthen the design and evaluation of an intervention.

Over the last 12 months, the Student Voice & Evaluation Team, situated within the Teaching and Learning Academy has worked with colleagues across professional services to ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to develop a ToC. This has been driven largely by the interactive game called ‘Change Busters’, developed by colleagues from Sheffield Hallam for Advance HE.

Improving impact reporting: a gameplay approach to understanding theory of change PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.