West Forum Staff News
Dr Nicole Lederle is the evaluator at the West Forum and took up post from Ian Gillan on 10th August 2009. Nicole is responsible for evaluating the West Forum’s work with young people and adult learners and communities. Activities have involved designing questionnaire surveys to record key education and personal data of our pupils and adult learners when they register with our activities. This will allow us, together with evaluation data after individuals have taken part in our activities, to better understand any changes these learners have experienced in terms of progressing to further or higher education.
Recent evaluation activity includes evaluation of the Top Up programme – our work with pupils from the schools in the west of Scotland which have the lowest progression rates to higher education – and of the On Track programme, which focuses on students at the further/higher education interface. Findings from these research activities will be available in early 2010. Further evaluation activity is planned for 2010, including more qualitative-based research of our work with community learners as well as families.
Two recent evaluation reports – drawing on data collected by Ian Gillan - can be found on the West Forum website.