Measuring progress on equality: qualitative evidence

There is much great practice to celebrate in the education sector on advancing equality and diversity; we have various equality objectives, action plans, projects and initiatives underway. But how do we really know what impact our actions are having on staff and students with protected characteristics? How do we know we are actually fostering good relations? New guidance might help

The challenge is having hard evidence to demonstrate impact, rather than anecdotal evidence or a good ‘story’ or two. We need to make transparent the progress we are making in achieving our equality objectives and in meeting the public sector equality duty.  Yet identifying and measuring the impact of equality activity on the working and learning environment of a higher education institution or college can be complex. It may take several years before a benefit is realised, and there is often more than one stage and level of impact. Pinpointing a direct relationship between specific activity and a specific impact is therefore challenging, particularly for equality areas where there is little quantitative data. 

The Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) has produced a new guide to help use qualitative information to measure progress in equality and diversity and the impact of specific initiatives. This guidance sets out five steps to gathering, analysing and using qualitative evidence: 

1. establish: qualitative baselines
2. formulate: qualitative indicators
3. review: qualitative monitoring
4. analyse: evidence of progress
5. report: progress at all levels

To download the guide, click here