NEON Summer Symposium 2015

The 2015 Summer Symposium was held at the University of Sussex and focused upon

‘Does data matter? Can evidence improve practice?’

A number of questions around the application of research and data were considered, including:

• What sources of research and data do widening access professionals draw upon?
• How do research and data inform outreach, teaching and learning and student outcomes?
• How can widening access professionals ensure they keep up to date with current research?
• Has widening access practice become disconnected from the latest research?
• How can practitioners and researchers work together to improve practice?

There were also roundtable discussions on:

• How the OFFA research strategy can support the delivery of Access Agreements
• Making the NNCO project data driven
• The Pupil Premium, evidence and access to higher education
• Unlocking institutional data to improve success across the student lifecycle

Keynote speakers for the 2015 Summer Symposium included:

• Bill Rammell – Vice Chancellor, University of Bedfordshire 
• Professor Clare Mackie – Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Sussex
• Dr Claire Crawford – Assistant Professor of Economics, The University of Warwick
• Sarah Howls – Head of Student Opportunity, HEFCE 
• Helen Thorne – Director of Policy and Research, UCAS

The NEON Summer Symposium – the event for widening access professionals you can’t afford to miss