K+ Evaluation 2022 – Participant Information Sheet
Title of project
Measuring transition to Higher Education after COVID-19 – Survey
Invitation Paragraph
I would like to invite you to participate in this research project which will help understand the impact of widening participation programmes offered by King’s College London. Before you decide whether you want to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what your participation will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask me if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.
What is the purpose of the project?
King’s College London Widening Participation works with underrepresented learners and their supporters, empowering them to access, thrive and succeed in higher education. The purpose of the project is build the tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of King’s College London’s Widening Participation programmes. The insights gained from the survey will help inform a final version of a survey that will be used to evaluate how much impact our Widening Participation programmes have on students. This process will help us continuely review and improve the content of our programmes.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You are being invited to participate in this project because you are currently studying in Further Education and are over the age of 16.
What will happen if I take part?
If you choose to take part in the project you will be asked to answer a series of questions based on your own experience and knowledge of higher education, your current levels of academic confidence, and whether you feel a sense of belonging at university. The survey will be conducted online and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You will also be asked demographic questions based on your gender, ethnicity, age, school, and postcode.
Do I have to take part?
Participation is completely voluntary. You should only take part if you want to and choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in any way. Once you have read the information sheet, please contact us if you have any questions that will help you make a decision about taking part. If you decide to take part we will ask you to sign a consent form and you will be given a copy of this consent form to keep.
Incentives
As a gesture of thanks, you will be entered into a raffle with the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher.
What are the possible risks of taking part?
There are no risks associated with participation.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
You will be entered into a raffle with the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher.
Data handling and confidentiality
Your data will be processed under the terms of UK data protection law (including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018).
- Any reference to contact details will be pseudoanonymised after data has been collected. Location data (postcode) will be converted into POLAR4 and ACORN outputs, datasets which rank postcodes on a criteria from 1-5 based on levels of socio-economic affluence and hence make students unidentifiable.
- Certain sensitive data collected (including ethnicity and gender) will be anonymised and stored securely. Sensitive data will be reported in aggregate and students will be unidentifiable.
- Data will only be shared within the immediate research team. Data will not but shared with any third parties.
Data will be stored in a secure OneDrive and will be deleted once the research project has been completed (April 2023).
Data Protection Statement
If you would like more information about how your data will be processed under the terms of UK data protection laws please visit the link below:
What if I change my mind about taking part?
You are free withdraw at any point of the project, without having to give a reason. Withdrawing from the project will not affect you in any way. You are able to withdraw your data from the project up until 16 December 2023, after which withdrawal of your data will no longer be possible as the data will have been anonymised. If you choose to withdraw from the project we will not retain the information you have given thus far.
How is the project being funded?
This project is being funded by King’s College London’s King’s Together Fund.
What will happen to the results of the project?
The results of the project will be summarised in an internal research report and will inform an eventual journal article.
Who should I contact for further information?
If you have any questions or require more information about this project, please contact me using the following contact details:
tayler.meredith@kcl.ac.uk
What if I have further questions, or if something goes wrong?
If this project has harmed you in any way or you wish to make a complaint about the conduct of the project you can contact King’s College London using the details below for further advice and information:
Chair of the PNM REP, rec@kcl.ac.uk
King’s College London
Strand
London
WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom
Thank you for reading this information sheet and for considering taking part in this research.