Applied Inspiration is delighted to welcome Jess Woodsford to the new role of Director for SEER, the Specialist Evidence, Evaluation and Research service.
In 2019 SEER was developed collaboratively with small, specialist and newly registering higher education providers and Independent Higher Education (IHE) to address key challenges in effectively meeting regulatory requirements for data, evaluation, monitoring and research in fair access and participation.
Jess joins SEER from her role at the Office for Students (OfS) where she led the review of how the OfS regulate fair access and participation. As part of this process she actively engaged with providers to understand how they could have a greater impact on addressing inequality of opportunity through regulatory processes.
Jess said: “I am delighted to be joining the Applied Inspiration team, leading and developing the important work of SEER. Having worked in the area of fair access and participation, holding positions in the offices of the regulator and working with higher education institutions, I am bringing to the role a wealth of experience and expertise, and a dedicated passion for the agenda. This critically includes making it work for institutions and for students.”
Jess previously held the role of Head of Programmes at the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) (predecessor of the Office for Students), where she led on regulatory processes under the Directorship of Professor Sir Les Ebdon. She also oversaw the assessment and monitoring of Access Agreements (now Access and Participation Plans).
Applied Inspiration’s Managing Director, Emma Thomas, noted that while the OfS have a mandate to reduce the barriers to entry to the higher education market, the challenges for micro, small, specialist and newly registering higher education providers remain. “It is an interesting reflection that, just like the students we target in the fair access and participation agenda, these institutions are similarly disadvantaged by their characteristics with a one-size-fits-all approach to regulation. Applied Inspiration will continue to champion and support these institutions and we have built SEER as a model that offers effective and efficient practice in the area of data, evaluation and research.”
Jess comments, “I have seen first-hand the passion for access and participation, which is evident across the sector. We need to find effective ways of capturing and evidencing the excellent work taking place across the diverse range of providers that make up our higher education sector, where in many cases that provision has been designed to meet the needs of under-represented groups. I realise this is not an easy task particularly for smaller, specialist and newly registering providers and appreciate the complexities and structural challenges many providers face.”
Jess went on to say; “As Director, my vision for SEER is to support and enable members to thrive in the regulatory environment, establishing the infrastructures and analyses required for effective data capture, monitoring, evaluation and research. We will use these insights to inform practice in a continuous improvement cycle, and to make key decisions. Through SEER we will develop our understanding and evidence the impact on progressing equality of opportunity to higher education. We will share this good practice with the rest of the sector and ensure the micro, small and specialist provider voice is heard and further, influences future policy and practice.”