Learning gain

National Mixed Methodology Learning Gain project

We have decided to conclude the National Mixed Methodology Learning Gain (NMMLG) project. The project was initiated by HEFCE in 2016, and was due to finish in the academic year 2019-20. It was reviewed earlier this year by the OfS, who took it over in April 2018 following HEFCE’s closure.

The initial aim of the project was to identify a methodology that could measure students’ learning gain longitudinally through a nationally administered survey. Interim evaluation highlighted a number of issues with the data collection process and a low response rate for the longitudinal sample. This compromised our ability to meet the aim. As such, the decision was taken, with the support of the Learning Gain Steering Group, not to continue with the survey work.

The project has, even so, made a significant contribution to our knowledge of learning gain. The evaluation of the NMMLG project, led by Sheffield Hallam University, will continue in the autumn, working with providers and others involved in the project and focusing on improving our understanding of students’ perceptions of learning gain. This will complement the evaluations of the pilot projects being carried out by Dr Camille Kandiko-Howson, Kings College London. It will help us to develop a rich understanding of learning gain activity.

More information about the project

Assessment as part of the NMMLG project concluded in 2018. Evaluation is currently taking place, led by Sheffield Hallam University.

The project made use of an online assessment programme that included a combination of test and self-reporting survey questions which sought to evaluate students':

critical thinking and problem-solving skills
attitudes towards their study experience
engagement with their studies.

The project built on the approach of, among others:

a previous study undertaken in the US by the Centre of Inquiry at Wabash College
work undertaken by Ernest Pascarella (Chair in Higher Education at the University of Iowa)
Cambridge Assessment
the United Kingdom Engagement Survey (UKES), Higher Education Academy.

Outputs from evaluation of this work will be published January 2019.

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Learning gain

National Mixed Methodology Learning Gain project

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