HOP – Cosmos Co-Creation report - “Learning from our Learners”
Today we’re proud to share our report “HOP Learner Co-Creation Workshops” which we commissioned from Cosmos Engagement Ltd.
Here at HOP we’re committed to helping students from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their knowledge, understanding and confidence about applying for further and higher education. But we also believe its important to shape our offer to them in ways that they find most useful to make our resources more meaningful and effective to those who need it most. That’s why we were really excited by Cosmos’ co-creation work as it allowed learners themselves to report on the the challenges they had found and to make suggestions on how they could be met.
Our learners are telling us that they need sustained support to navigate the transitions between GSCE’s and post-16 progression as well as their post-18 options. Its important for us to reflect on these learnings so that our students voices can shape their futures.
The Cosmos report draws on two sources of data:
- A series of co-creation workshops with learners across our local authority areas. Learners from schools and FE colleges shared their experiences of learning under Covid and their ideas for how best to address their learning needs.
- Quantitative survey data taken from the annual CFE survey which addresses themes including application knowledge, aspiration for further study and confidence.
Their report makes compelling reading. What stands out for me are two things: the variation in students’ experiences and their constructive suggestions for future resources.
In summary, the learners Cosmos spoke to were:
- Generally positive about their educational experiences during lockdown.
- Comparison of the two waves of the CFE survey allowed us to draw some direct comparisons over time.
- Some students reported challenges to mental wellbeing but suggested a variety of ideas to address these including more opportunities for outdoor activities and help with workload management to foster stability and wellbeing.
- Our learners generally preferred in-person activities but had adapted to online delivery.
- Offered specific year group suggestions such as HE application support in yr 12/13 and support in identifying their strengths in yr 9/10.
The Cosmos report is an important addition to a growing body of work on Uniconnect students Covid experiences such as Nerupi's Experiences of Outreach during the Pandemic: Nerupi UniConnect Collaborative Project.
Please download the summary report below or email A.Kildunne2@hull.ac.uk for the full report.
