Give us the money! Evaluating the effectiveness of Learning Development (and justifying our existence!)

Learning Development at the University of Northampton was established in the late 1980s and in 2012 became part of Library and Learning Services. During this time the team has grown in size and continues to change and enhance its provision through anecdotal feedback from students and academic colleagues. However, along with the international Learning Development community, the team wishes to understand the impact it has upon those who utilise it. This understanding has been incredibly difficult to ascertain but it is imperative that we discover our impact to inform our future working. In order to do this we will utilise a mixed methods approach by: surveying and interviewing current students and academic staff; undertaking a comparative study and analysing student data both quantitatively and qualitatively to ensure a full picture. We want to understand: • Whether students are aware of Learning Development and if so, how did they find out? • Why students use Learning Development and also why students don’t use LD • The effectiveness and impact of Learning Development upon the students who use the team compared to those who don’t • The impact of Learning Development upon the retention of students The project was awarded ethical approval in October 2017 and it is envisaged that the statistical analysis of two large cohorts will be undertaken first. Students using the service will be surveyed and interviewed during the 2017-18 academic year. This presentation will outline the initial findings and we hope to return to the conference in 2019 to share the primary research findings.