Using logic chain and theory of change tools to evaluate widening participation: Learning from the What works? Student Retention & Success programme

There has been national and institutional commitment to widening participation (WP) for over 20 years in England, and during this time considerable investment has been made in WP. The field of WP is, however, still characterised by a lack of evidence of impact, and institutions are under pressure to provide better evidence moving forward. Practitioners working across the student lifecycle find evaluation challenging. This paper focuses on the approach used to evaluate a programme of work intended to improve the success of non-traditional students in higher education (HE), drawing on logic chains and a theory of change model (programme theory evaluation tools). It considers the benefits and limitations of this approach and discusses how it was applied in practice. It provides examples of indicators and evidence and considers ways in which the model can be improved and applied to other contexts.