Case study (2005) University of Leeds Evaluation

Context

The University of Leeds through its Access Academy provides a comprehensive infrastructure and dedicated staff resource to support volunteers, working in local schools, in all aspects of their placement. A team of nine staff ensures the service to over 500 volunteers continually improves and evolves every year to enable the University to provide the best student experience and provision to local schools.

Evaluation is an essential tool in the monitoring and development of all University volunteering programmes. The evaluations enable the University to continue to improve the service, ensure the quality of provision and maintain a positive experience for both the student volunteers and the beneficiaries.

Programme detail

All student volunteers and the participating schools are asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire at the end of the placements. A number of evaluations have also been developed for the beneficiaries to enable them to comment on the support they received.

The evaluations provide the information which is recorded in a database of information relating to the reasons for volunteering, type of placement, and the relationship with the school, beneficiaries and the University. Further information is requested as to how the schemes could be improved which is then discussed by the University Access Academy to make any necessary changes for future programmes. For example, a number of volunteers suggested that it would be useful if previous volunteers took part in the induction process, and this was subsequently implemented.

School evaluations focus on the extent and nature of the volunteer placements and the value of the schemes to the school. They review communication with the students and the Access Academy, management and workload for the school in supporting the placements and again seeks feedback on any suggested improvements to the scheme.

Capturing this information not only allows the programmes to be constantly improved, it provides comparative annual results which can be used to identify trends and patterns in the student placements. It highlights issues such as a school failing to provide the necessary support to the volunteers, or equally any volunteer programmes that appear to not be having the desired impact. Evaluations therefore enable programmes to be compared for impact, and when budgets are being considered for volunteering programmes a considered decision, based on priorities and successes, can be made. For example, a number of volunteers suggested that it would be useful if previous volunteers took part in the induction process, and this was subsequently implemented.

Bespoke evaluations are designed for the beneficiaries themselves as the age and abilities of those involved can vary significantly. The Chapeltown Carnival project, for example, which helped 120 primary school children to design their own costumes, was followed by a fun evaluation, with images and drawings for children to choose in order to explain their feelings about the event. Evaluations themselves should be reviewed constantly to ensure that the information being collected is of value to the University. Response rates to long evaluation questionnaires are low so it is important to keep the questionnaires short and request only the most important data that can be used to develop and improve the service.

Hints and tips

  • Evaluate all students and schools.
  • Where possible ask the beneficiaries to evaluate the scheme they benefited from.
  • Keep the evaluation questionnaires brief.
  • Use bespoke questionnaires to suit your beneficiaries' needs (e.g. young children)
  • Decide what information you need before designing the questionnaire.
  • Use the evaluation data annually for comparative purposes.