RCU - Research and Consultancy in Education

Research

Research is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end.

We will work with you to clearly define what you want to achieve from your research and develop an approach that meets your needs.

Our aim is to provide robust meaningful intelligence to inform your decision making, for instance:

• customer insight;
• feasibility studies;
• impact assessment and evaluation;
• market characteristics and market trends;
• policy formulation and review;
• staff and stakeholder perceptions.

Our bespoke research uses a wide range of methodologies to address needs of our clients, including qualitative and quantitative approaches and literature reviews.  We use the latest technology to ensure that the process is streamlined and delivers value for money

Our work for you will be carried out in line with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct, as well as the international standard for market research companies (IS0 20252) and the Data Security standard (IS0 27001).

Use the links below to hear RCU staff talking about some key research issues in a short and simple 10 Step Guide format.

10 Step Guides

10 Step Guide to Employer Surveys

10 Step Guide to Staff Surveys

10 Step Guide to Curriculum Planning Information

10 Step Guide to Stakeholder Surveys

10 Step Guide to Destinations Monitoring

10 Step Guide to Surveys of No-Shows (applicants who do not subsequently enrol)

10 Step Guide to Early Leaver Surveys

10 Step Guide to Local Resident Surveys 

10 Step Guide to Questionnaire Design

10 Step Guide to Sampling

10 Step Guide to Confidence Intervals

To view a clip based on a workshop for college staff on Reputation Research, click here.

Videos

10 Step Guide - Employer Surveys

10 Step Guide to Employer Surveys

Related Documents

Frequently Asked Questions

How can research help me?

Above all, it can help by providing an evidence-base for decision-making. Beyond that it can identify customer insight, market trends, new opportunities, ways of operating your business more effectively and efficiently - so it can help you to save money, too.

How long does it take to do a research project?

It varies. Some projects can be set up and completed within a couple of weeks, others will take longer to set up and may also need to run over a longer period of time, for example.

Is there a market for a particular courses / new service we are considering - can you help us work that out?

Just as we have been able to analyse the market share of providers in the post-16 education sector, we are able to show what the volume of uptake has been for any subject you are interested in developing and to highlight the characteristics of people who've taken that course. We can also identify the volumes of that type of person within your locality so you can estimate how many learners you might be able to capture.

People talk about "quant" and "qual" research - what's the difference?

Qualitative research is basically about finding out whether an issue is 'present' or not and quantitative research is about establishing the extent to which an issue is present or not.

What are people travelling out of our area to study?

We have carried out several projects which have identified the flows of people into and out of an area and, in the context of education, what people have been travelling into and out of the area to study.

What sorts of organisation do you work with?

We work for a wide range of organisations in the public sector, mainly. Historically, our focus has been on the post-16 education sector where we have carried out assignments for both individual providers such as colleges or local authorities but we have also done research on behalf of Awarding Bodies and national government departments.

Will the outcomes of the research be of any use to me?

Yes and if, at any stage, we believe the question we have agreed cannot be answered o the process is not going to deliver the result expected, we will talk to you about what to do next. That happens at the earliest opportunity as your project manager will be in regular contact with you.