15 May 2025

STEM Working Group: Initial Meeting

Online

The first meeting for the STEM working group took place on the 15th May 2-4pm. The STEM working group has been set up to share practice and ideas about ways to improve outreach activity, support access, and effectively support success and progression in STEM. The first working group session started with a lightning talk from Becca Sweeney from Imperial College London about how the Dangoor Reach out Makerspace is supporting underserved young people from local communities to engage hands on with STEM. Becca discussed challenges faced and lessons learnt from her work in this space. The meeting provided opportunities to meet other people working in STEM outreach and supporting students on course.

28 Apr 2025

Creative HE Working Group

Online

This session we were joined by Josie Holding, from the Occupational Therapy team at Leeds Conservatoire. Josie discussed their approach, impact on students and benefits of bridging the gap between disability services and wellbeing support using Occupational Therapy.

08 Apr 2025

Peer Evaluation Course

Hybrid

There is a call for greater rigour and transparency in evaluation for widening participation and equity initiatives but external scrutiny does not automatically translate into better practice. Peer Evaluation provides opportunities for external feedback and objectivity from colleagues with similar challenges and expertise. Supported by a carefully designed curriculum, resources and expert team, participation in the course benefits both individuals and organisations.

03 Apr 2025

Working with First Generation Students

Online 1.00 - 4.00

First Gen students can be less likely to access elite HEIs, to complete their degrees and progress to graduate level jobs. Dr Jessie Abrahams, University of Bristol, provided valuable insights from her research on the First Gen experience followed by presentations exploring strategies to support students from Dr James Watts, University of Bristol, Abigail Lewis and Andrea Lambell, Durham University and Dr Jummy Okoya from the University of East London.

26 Mar 2025

New Members Introduction

Online 10.00 - 12.00

This event will be useful for those in organisations that are new to NERUPI and for individuals who have joined teams in NERUPI member organisations and want to find out more. You will meet the NERUPI team, hear about NERUPI activities including our Working Groups and find out more about the NERUPI Framework.

20 Mar 2025

Evaluating Intervention Strategies: Opportunities and Challenges

10.00 - 16.00 at Mary Ward House, 5-7 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9SN

Robust evaluation is crucial for contributing to the development of sector-wide knowledge of what works, for whom, and in what contexts, to address risks to equality of opportunity. This in-person NERUPI event was designed specifically for evaluators and evaluation managers supporting the delivery of intervention strategies.

17 Mar 2025

Awarding Gaps

Online

An insightful discussion on awarding gaps in higher education, hosted by the Student and Staff Race and Ethnic Equity (SsREE) working group. This event featured Abbi Bainton-James and Ife Grillo, University of Bristol who shared their work on addressing racial disparities in student outcomes at their university.

12 Feb 2025

A complete student journey – how student voice changed our student experience strategic plan

Online

During this Student Voice Working Group session we heard from Dr Yvonne Chase, Head of Student Life at Newcastle University about how the Student Life Team supports students from admission to employment. Through workshops, they have identified key barriers faced by students, with a particular focus on those from low socio-economic backgrounds, international students, parents, and mature students. The session showcased their approach, shared insights into improvements in student communications and induction, and presented co-designed initiatives developed with students. Additionally, it will explored the theories of change underpinning the evaluation of these initiatives' effectiveness.

11 Feb 2025

Creative HE Working Group

Online

In this session we heard from two working group members about their practices to generate discussion and how these might inform work in our own institutions. Ellie Johnson from the University of Leeds focused on a project called Leeds Futures, and Andy Adam from University of East Anglia talked about The Black Humanities Project.

06 Feb 2025

NERUPI Toolkit Event: The NERUPI Approach to Evaluation

Online 13.00 - 15.00

Important for all NERUPI members involved in evaluation the content for this session has changed and we are taking the opportunity to introduce some important innovations to the NERUPI Approach to Evaluation.