Yvonne Hawkins discusses the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) learning gain programme, which aims to develop methods for measuring student learning and improvement during their time in higher education. Some key activities of the programme include pilot projects at institutions, a national project measuring learning gain, and analyzing administrative data. HEFCE is also developing an online toolkit of peer-reviewed learning gain methodologies to help institutions select appropriate approaches. Finally, Hawkins notes the Office for Students will need to consider learning gain in relation to its new regulatory objectives.

1. Learning gain in the
national context
Yvonne Hawkins
Director (Universities and Colleges),
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Studio, Birmingham
7 February 2018
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2. Context for Learning Gain Programme
‘Excellent and innovative teaching must be at
the heart of a world-leading higher education
system and student experience, but we need
better indicators to demonstrate it. The Council
should therefore continue its programme of
refining and testing new indicators, including
those on graduate earnings, in the context of
its review of public information, and continue
its research to develop and test measures of
teaching quality and learning gain.’
HEFCE Grant Letter January 2015

3. Definition and approach
Working definition:
The improvement in knowledge, skills, work-readiness and
personal development made by students during their time
spent in higher education.
HEFCE’s approach:
HEFCE’s learning gain programme conducts exploratory
research on the assessment of learning gain
– what works and what does not, in different contexts.

4. Aims of the programme:
• Evidence-informed advice
• Enhance learning & teaching

5. Objectives
of the programme
• Catalyse activity & dialogue
• Share experiences on enhancement
• Develop characterisations &
methods for measuring
learning gain
• Explore potential proxies

6. Learning gain programme activity
Learning
gain
activity
Independent
research on
learning gain
Institutional led
pilot projects
HEFCE-
administered
national project
(NMMLGP)
Analysis of
administrative
data to
understand
learning gain
(HELGA)

7. Learning gain DfE Report
DfES requested an update from HEFCE on learning gain activity
in the 2017 grant letter.
The report highlighted the impact of our work to date:
• Agenda setting and awareness raising
• Advancing understanding of learning gain
• Testing and development of learning gain measures across a
diverse range of contexts
• Improved understanding of the conditions and factors required
to implement learning gain measures effectively
• Impacts on learning and teaching practices

8. Future activity: The learning gain tool kit
What is the toolkit?
• An actively updated online and open repository of quality assured
learning gain methodologies which are peer reviewed.
What is the purpose of the toolkit?
• Intended to support institutions to identify and put in practice
combinations of methodologies most appropriate to the intended
purpose, the learning context and the institution’s strategic approach to
teaching enhancement.

9. Learning gain and the Office for Students
OfS will need to consider its activities on learning gain in relation to its duties
and strategies.
OfS’ four primary objectives as set out in the regulatory framework consultation:
Objective 1: all students, from all backgrounds, are supported to access, succeed in, and
progress from, higher education.
Objective 2: all students, from all backgrounds, receive a high quality academic
experience, and their qualifications hold their value over time in line with sector-
recognised standards.
Objective 3: that all students, from all backgrounds, have their interests as consumers
protected while they study, including in the event of provider, campus, or course closure.
Objective 4: that all students, from all backgrounds, receive value for money

10. Thank you for listening, any questions?
Y.hawkins@hefce.ac.uk

11. Copyright
The copyright in this presentation is held either by the
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) or
by the originating authors.
Please contact customerservices@hefce.ac.uk for further
information and re-use requests.