The Education Evaluation and Insights Team supports education and student experience through evaluation, research, and analysis.
We work in partnership with academic and professional services colleagues across LSE to collect, analyse, and report on insights that support our strategic priorities and educational decision-making. Our projects directly inform the Access and Participation Plan, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and the wider Education and Student Experience Strategy.
This page contains recent reports and findings from our work. You can also visit our Evaluation Funding and Resources page to learn about support available for evaluation projects.
We are here to help. Whether you're planning a new educational initiative, need support with impact assessment, or would like to discuss evaluation design, we would be happy to work with you!
Get in touch via eden.evaluation@lse.ac.uk.
**NEW** Departmental Senior Student Advisors (DSSAs) Impact Report – Year 1
This report presents the initial evaluation of the DSSA service, a new centrally managed pastoral support initiative introduced in AY24/25. Drawing on surveys of students and staff alongside engagement records, the evaluation finds substantial positive impact on both students and departments, particularly around assessment regulations and wellbeing support, while identifying opportunities to strengthen student awareness, departmental integration, and service clarity.
Read the full report
Keywords: Pastoral support, student advisors, student wellbeing, assessment support, student services
**NEW** Undergraduate Research Assistantship (UGRA) Programme Evaluation (2025)
This evaluation examines the Phelan US Centre's flagship UGRA programme, which has enabled over 70 undergraduate students to work on faculty research projects since 2017 with the generous support of a donor. The evaluation, conducted by the Phelan US Centre with Eden Centre support, finds significant benefits for students (workplace skills, career development) and faculty (research outputs, fresh perspectives), alongside recommendations for programme enhancement.
Read the full report
Keywords: Undergraduate research, research assistantships, student-faculty collaboration, skills development, career development
Learn more: Visit the Phelan US Centre Website
Declining Lecture Attendance at LSE (2025)
This research report examines the decline in lecture attendance at LSE, drawing on surveys of 165 academics across 25 departments and student focus groups. It finds contrasting explanations between staff (who emphasize lecture recordings and motivation) and students (who cite quality, relevance, and structural barriers) and proposes targeted interventions including enhanced academic support and career guidance.
Read the full report (pdf)
Keywords: Lecture attendance, student engagement, pedagogy, teaching quality, student experience
LSE Navigate: Supporting Contextual Offer Holders (2025)
This participatory research project worked with 16 students over 6 weeks to explore the transitional experiences of contextual offer holders at LSE. Through digital diaries, creative workshops, and photovoice methods, this report identifies key challenges including academic adjustment, belonging, career uncertainty, and financial pressures, proposing comprehensive support interventions from pre-arrival through graduation.
Read the full report (pdf)
Keywords: Contextual offers, widening participation, student transition, belonging, equity and inclusion, participatory ethos.
Evaluating the Impact of Contextual Offers at LSE (2025)
This peer-reviewed article uses mixed-methods contribution analysis to evaluate LSE's contextual offer policy for 2022/23 admissions. The research demonstrates that contextual offers successfully widened access for targeted students despite the institution's highly selective intake, providing evidence-based insights for admissions policy in elite universities.
Keywords: Contextual admissions, contextual offers, widening participation, higher education policy, contribution analysis
Publication: Read the article in Higher Education Quarterly
Engaging Undergraduate Students in Citizen Science: Measuring Air Pollution as a Pedagogical Approach (2024)
This book chapter, co-authored with Prof. Thomas E.L. Smith in Outdoor Learning in Higher Education explores how citizen science air pollution projects enhance environmental education by enabling students to engage with knowledge creation, data integrity, and policymaking as complements to traditional classroom pedagogy.
Keywords: Citizen science, environmental education, outdoor learning, experiential learning, air quality
Publication: Read the chapter on Taylor & Francis
Peer Study Groups at LSE: Evaluation Report (2023)
This evaluation of LSE's Peer Study Groups programme for 2021-22 identifies three distinct models: Seminar Groups (coursework-focused), Study Groups (cohort-level support), and Transition Groups (welcome activities). Based on departmental surveys and student focus groups, the report finds that groups with clear purpose and assessment links are most successful, recommending improved guidance and early support for group formation.
Read the full report (pdf)
Keywords: Peer study groups, collaborative learning, peer support, student engagement, community building
AI Use in Assessment in Management Courses (AY 2023/24)
This study examines students’ declaration on the use of AI in assessment in two management courses taught by Assistant Professor Nayat Horozoglu at LSE during the 2023/2024 academic year. The findings revealed a growing prevalence of AI-supported practices in assessment, identified the most used AI tools, and illustrated patterns of AI use across different learning purposes. The study also investigated the association between the use of AI in assessment and final grade awards.
Read the full report (pdf)
Keywords: AI in assessment, AI policy, AI tools, pedagogy, management courses, student outcome