Chapter 3: Introducing the ‘Access and Participation’ and ‘Evaluation’ Agenda

This chapter presents a definition of participation in higher education (HE) and explores the regulator’s definition of evaluation, along with the purpose of evaluation within participation practices. The student lifecycle will be explored, specifically addressing when participation in HE begins, and which student groups participating in HE are of interest to the English HE regulator. This chapter will also explore the expected evaluation practices of participation work by HE providers as defined by the English HE regulator. A brief introduction to the complex setting in which participation and evaluation takes place will also be provided. The language of participation and evaluation within regulatory guidance will be critically scrutinised to understand why, and how, participation and evaluation are increasingly intertwined. Finally, this chapter ends by exploring the messiness of doing, and evaluating, participation work and challenges readers to consider whose value is prioritised in understanding what works.