Evaluation Cycle Framework
The Evaluation Cycle Framework, developed by the University's Access and Success team, aims to guide you in effectively evaluating the impact of your project or programme. By using this Framework you help to:
- Ensure all programmes are evaluated consistently and robustly using appropriate frameworks and tools
- Provide consensus on programme design
- Help to frame delivery of activities into outcomes achievement
- Support the University's principles for transparent evaluation design, useful for all types of projects
Evaluation Decision Tree tool
The Evaluation Decision Tree tool is designed to empower you with essential skills and resources for evaluating your practice effectively. You’ll be introduced to key evaluation principles—including creative, transformative, and embedded approaches—that can shape your work meaningfully. We’ll guide you in finding practical templates, like Theory of Change, to support your unique evaluation plan, along with case studies and exemplars to inspire and inform your approach. You’ll also have access to valuable materials on access and participation planning, with clear direction on where to connect with relevant resources. Finally, you’ll strengthen your knowledge of evaluation methods to drive impactful and informed practices.
If you have a moment, we would love to hear whether this tool has been helpful for you here.
Guides and resources to help you run your own evaluation
These guides provide information, considerations and resources to help you evaluate your practice at each stage of the evaluation process.
About Theory of Change
This guide provides an introduction to the Theory of Change methodology to help you structure and plan your evaluation.
External resources
Developing your evaluation
This guide builds upon the concept of Theory of Change and explains how to select an appropriate form of evaluation and develop an evaluation plan. It will also introduce the purpose of comparison and why it is used to produce higher standards of evidence.
To help you plan your evaluation, take the outcomes agreed in your Theory of Change document and add them to the evaluation plan template. It has indicators for the methods used to gather data, when it will happen and who will complete the activity.
Monitoring and running your evaluation
This guide explains how to use evidence gathered by evaluation to inform and review your work and helps you to locate support and resources to monitor and review your evaluation.
You may find this evaluation checklist spreadsheet template useful in helping you to run the evaluation.
Disseminating your evaluation
This guide introduces the ways you can present and disseminate your evaluation project, internally and externally.
What is the size and scale of your project?
The things you need to consider will be determined by the size and scale of your evaluation project. To help you think about this consider whether you are running a smaller scale project locally, or is it reaching across different areas (e.g., divisions/departments, schools, or even faculties). The following guidance and suggestions aim to help you plan for all types of evaluation projects.
Level 1: Local or course level
Data collection and student voice
If you your change project will primarily impact your local level or area, for example, a particular team, course or programme, you will normally be responsible for your own data collection and will require smaller levels of consultation. You should also consider how you are going to incorporate the student voice.
At this level, consider collecting data through channels that are already accessible to you for example, course unit evaluation data, consultation with student representatives, existing email channels.
Funding and resource
No additional funding or resource is required to run this evaluation; evaluation is embedded into practice.
Dissemination
Sharing and disseminating the results of your evaluation will primarily be internal for example, through local communications, relevant SharePoint sites, or team meetings.
Example: Evaluating the PgCert in Clinical Data Science
The PG Cert in Clinical Data Science is a co-created course developed in partnership with public patient representatives, consultation with The Christie and NHS England. The course is aligned to NHS values, aiming to upskill the healthcare workforce with data science, statistics, machine learning capabilities and change management knowledge and skills.
First, the course team developed a Theory of Change (ToC) to plan the evaluation and determine what the short, medium and long term outcomes and impact of the course should be. Developing the Theory of Change enabled the team to agree seven evaluation themes and research questions:
- Knowledge, confidence and skills: Has the course helped develop foundational clinical data science knowledge and skills?
- Authentic and experiential: Did the learners find the case studies / exemplars / notebooks provided real world context and opportunity to get hands-on experience applying some of the tech concepts covered?
- Personalised and flexible: Had it been personalised and flexible enough to meet the needs of all students?
- Interdisciplinarity: Did the group work or face to face day give a taste of interdisciplinary / team science working?
- Self-efficacy and agency: Has the PG Cert encouraged all students to exercise agency and develop self-regulated learning skills?
- Satisfaction: Did learners enjoy the course to a level they would recommend it?
- Diverse and inclusive: Was the cohort a broad mix of learners from across professional disciplines and levels?
By phasing the outcomes, it was easier to see how each element contributed to the final impact which was to enable all learners to embark on a digital transformation project of their own.
Next, the team used the Evaluation Cycle Framework to embed the evaluation into the course.
| Stage | Actions |
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| Design |
Resources to help you develop an evaluation plan |
| Deliver |
Resources to help you develop an evaluation checklist
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| Evaluate |
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| Learn |
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| Share |
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| Review |
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Level 2 (Semi-Organisational - School Level)
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You may begin to use data available from central BI reports and now require consideration of other change projects around you, to avoid potential attrition. You may require further levels of consultation e.g. >3 hours of consultation to plan methods etc. |
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Data Considerations |
School level data. APP – planning dashboards, BI availability.
Consider if other projects are happening at this level
Dissemination at across the institution and maybe externally. Access and Success projects may share findings through the Access and Success Annual Impact Report.
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Internal Example
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Manchester 10/10 Black Leadership Programme
The Manchester 10/10 Black Leadership programme (BPL) is a student success initiative which provides coaching for students of black heritage. This coaching aims to support participants to challenge mindsets which hinder success, increasing confidence in their studies and enabling them to take up leadership roles. Through their leadership roles, participants will be empowered to co-create improvements in student experience, helping the University to better understand how to support student of black heritage. It is the ambition of the BLP that these changes will result in an improved sense of belonging for students of black heritage and positively impact the degree awarding gap between white and black students. |
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External Example |
TBC |
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How are you incorporating student voices? |
You can gather student voices as part of your evaluation design by: - Contacting the student perspective group via Student Communications via xxx in order to pay for student time using Amazon Vouchers - |
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Resources & Support |
Internal Evaluation drop-in sessions: - UMITL3011 Evaluation Drop-in Support Session (APP specific) - UMITL3010 Evaluation Drop-in Support Session - UMIT3009 Theory of Change Consultation Clinic
------------------------------------------------- External links Evaluation collective - https://evaluationcollective.wordpress.com/ TASO - https://taso.org.uk/
Quality Assurance Agency - https://www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/2018/advice-and-guidance-18/monitoring-and-evaluation
OfS – Standard of evidence and evaluation https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/equality-of-opportunity/evaluation/standards-of-evidence-and-evaluation-self-assessment-tool/
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What’s needed to run your evaluation? |
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Level 3 (Institutional/Faculty Level)
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You should consider having work streams or a task and finish group to manage the delivery and evaluation. Your project is of high relevance and importance for key UoM strategic objectives e.g. APP etc. Your evaluation may be informed by targets at an APR or APP level. |
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Data Considerations |
APR/SEAP awareness – relation to wider change.
Full consultation AKA workstreams, T&F group.
Dissemination should be broad and likely beyond the scope of the institution. You may wish to publish your results in a blog or paper.
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Internal Example
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Student Success Hub The Student Success Hub (SSH) within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health comprises five workstreams, all seeking to address institutional drivers of differential attainment. The five workstreams are Accessing and Analysing Attainment Data, Embedding Inclusive Education, Developing Anti-Discriminatory Practice and Ensuring Equity of Placements. Through a multifaceted approach the SSH aims to make teaching and learning in FBMH more equitable and positively impact the degree awarding gap between white and black students and white and Asian students. |
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External Example |
Using learning analytics to prompt
At each HEP, students on the trial were randomly assigned to one of two groups (Intervention 1 or Intervention 2) which determined which intervention they would receive if the LA system identified them as being at risk. In both groups, at-risk students received an email alert which contained details of available support. For at-risk students in the Intervention 1 group, the email was automatically followed by a support phone call from a student adviser.’
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How are you incorporating student voices? |
As an institution-level project requiring resource, you could set up: - Request a student partner for your initiative? - https://www.yoursay.manchester.ac.uk/partners-and-consultations/ |
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Resources & Support |
Internal Evaluation drop-in sessions: - UMITL3011 Evaluation Drop-in Support Session (APP specific) - UMITL3010 Evaluation Drop-in Support Session - UMIT3009 Theory of Change Consultation Clinic
Detailed levels of methods with consideration ------------------------------------------------- External links Evaluation collective - https://evaluationcollective.wordpress.com/
TASO - https://taso.org.uk/
Quality Assurance Agency - https://www.qaa.ac.uk/the-quality-code/2018/advice-and-guidance-18/monitoring-and-evaluationOfS
OfS – Standard of evidence and evaluation https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/equality-of-opportunity/evaluation/standards-of-evidence-and-evaluation-self-assessment-tool/ |
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What’s needed to run your evaluation? |
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