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Villiers Park Educational Trust were funded to develop a web-based resource that universities could use to reflect on and develop their practice, specifically their outreach activities and the processes they employ to access groups of young people who are under-represented on STEM degree courses. The users of the web-based resource are envisioned as university personnel with widening participation and / or outreach reponsibilities.

Outreach Methodologies

The web-based resource includes information about outreach activities for students including:

• STEM subject-specific activities for academically able 16-18 year olds
  • Five day residential courses
  • One day masterclasses
  • Online extension activities
• Non-subject-specific activities for 14-18 year olds
  • Stepping stones to excellence residential courses
  • The Villiers Park Scholars Programme

It also includes information about:

• Communicating effectively with schools, colleges, academies, teachers and learners, particularly the hard-to-reach
• Targeting outreach, including establishing criteria and monitoring outcomes
• Working with partners, including Third Sector organisations

How other organisations could adapt the model

Experienced outreach officers could use the resource to reflect on their practice and consider developing activities based on the examples given whilst inexperienced officers might use the resource to develop their practice. 

It is hoped that universities will use the web-based resource:

• As a tool to help them reflect on their practice
• As suggestions for modifying their practice
• As models for new ways of working they have not used before

When consulting with HEIs, it was obvious that the area of practice that required development was targeting. There is much excellent practice with regards to outreach activities but too few of those activities are accessed by those groups who are under-represented on STEM degree courses. Universities can use the web-based resource to develop this aspect of their practice.

Find Out More

You can find out more about the project by reading their final report below, or by heading to their project web-pages where you will also be able to access the web-based resource.

Villiers Park Final Report