Measuring subject-adjacent learning gain: conceptual underpinnings and practical considerations
Dr Sonia Ilie, Cambridge University
Tuesday 5 February
17.00-19.00
Pippard Lecture Theatre
South Kensington Campus
Recent policy changes in higher education have re-focused existing efforts to improve student learning in higher education in interesting ways, one of which emphasises the measurement of learning and learning gain. This session will explore a new conceptual framework for learning gain, developed as part of the Office for Students-funded learning gain pilot studies, and then introduce the associated measurement instrument (a survey-based tool composed of self-report items as well as test-like elements). It will offer the opportunity for critique and debate as to the usefulness of this framework and instrument, and other such tools, for understanding learning across different courses, degrees, and disciplines, and also for exploring their potential for evaluating specific interventions to improve student learning.
Sonia Ilie is a Senior Research Fellow, working on projects related to inequalities in access to, learning during, and outcomes of, education. Her research uses quantitative methods applied to large scale survey data and includes randomised controlled trials of programmes aiming to narrow the socio-economic gap in school attainment and higher education access.