Date: 04th February 2026
Location: Leeds Beckett University, Headingley Campus
Please note this event is for Members onlyThis year we explored two key areas:
• ethical approaches to evaluation and the process of gaining ethical approval
• the changing role of the evaluator
Morning sessions provided evaluators with valuable practical opportunities to work together to consider ethical approaches to research and evaluation. Richard Davies, University of Hertfordshire, considered what it means to think ethically when undertaking evaluations. Ruth Stirton, Sussex University, focussed on navigating regulatory requirements and working through practical and regulatory constraints to identify opportunities to design ethical evaluations.
In the afternoon Annette Hayton and Joanne Moore explored organisational approaches to evaluation evidence and evaluation styles and the implications for evaluators' skills and competences. We considered strategies for evaluators leading beyond authority to engage with evaluation stakeholders and extend evaluation capacity.
The focus then turned to engagement of practitioner's in evaluation and Sarah Dirrane from Cosmos introduced the new NERUPI/Cosmos practitioner evaluation resource.
This event was free to NERUPI members and ran from 10:30 - 15:45, with registration from 10:00.
Richard is the programme lead for the MA Education programmes at the University of Hertfordshire. His background is in the philosophy of education, with a particular focus on ethics. He was the lead author of the TASO guidance on research ethics. He has been a reviewer and Chair of ethics committees for over 25 years.
Ruth is as Associate Professor in Healthcare Law at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on regulatory systems and the gap between regulation as written and regulation as experienced. Her interest in APPs is in the issues that evaluators are dealing with in the implementation of the OfS requirements. She has worked in NHS Research Ethics, and university Research Ethics, chairing various Research Ethics Committees since 2005. She was Chair of the Social Sciences and Arts REC at the University of Sussex 2020-2024. In her (somewhat limited) free time, Ruth is also a multi-media artist.
Sarah Dirrane is the Co-Founder and Research Director at Cosmos, an organisation renowned for its award-winning work with underrepresented students. With over two decades of experience in higher education research, she has led extensive research programmes focused on access, participation, and student outcomes. Passionate about tackling systemic barriers, Sarah works closely with educators to provide actionable insights and drive meaningful change. She also hosts The Student Outcomes Podcast, exploring critical topics in educational equity and inclusion.
Sarah is a Board Member on the newly established Equity Board at Buckinghamshire New University, where she is helping to shape the institution’s new Equity Action Plan. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for The Catalyst Collective, supporting its mission to empower young Black women through mentoring and robust evaluation.
Pre-session reading:
Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fifth edition (2024)