Resources

Cosmos Connects – July Edition

---

Welcome to the latest edition of the newsletter. It has been a busy month with conference season in full swing. I hope you are managing to carve out a bit of space amidst what always seems like the busiest stretch of the academic calendar.

We have got a lot to share this month – from our newest podcast episode on bridging the gap between practice and evaluation, to reflections from the NEON Symposium, and the return of our popular Beyond Guesswork workshop (now with a sharper focus for those leading strategy and making decisions).

Let’s get into it.

---

Bridging Practice & Evaluation: A Conversation with Dr Hannah Merry 

The Student Outcomes Podcast – Episode 7 – Now Available

This episode dives into what happens when delivery and data teams work together.

Dr Hannah Merry shares how bridging this gap creates better programmes, better evaluation and better outcomes.

We also go into the detail of evaluation in higher education and how it can be a powerful tool for learning, not just a reporting requirement. 

Here’s a snippet of what you will find:

• Building strong evaluation frameworks
• Bridging the gap between practitioners and evaluators
• Using data-driven insights for programme improvement
• Making evaluation engaging and relevant for all stakeholders

YOUTUBE

SPOTIFY

---

Beyond Guesswork: How to Target Students with the Right Support

NEW SUMMER DATES NOW AVAILABLE

– Wednesday 30th July

– Tuesday 5th August

This is not just a workshop, it is a strategic tool for managers and decision-makers who want to drive smarter, more impactful student outreach.

If you are responsible for improving student engagement, shaping outreach strategy, or ensuring your support reaches the students who need it most – this session is for you.
You will get:

• Insight into how segmentation can support smarter budget allocation and resource planning – doing less with greater impact
• A practical breakdown of the 4 key student segments identified in our national study of over 35,000 FE students
• Real-world examples of how teams are using segmentation to sharpen targeting and boost engagement
• Space to reflect on how these insights can be applied in your own setting

Get ahead of the next cycle – and go beyond guesswork.

FIND OUT MORE & REGISTER

---

NEON Symposium 2025: What FE Students Wish You Knew

It was such a joy to co-deliver a session with Louisa Dobson (Inspiring Choices, York St John University) at this year’s NEON Summer Symposium. We explored a deceptively simple question: what do FE students wish we actually understood about them?

Our discussion focused on the four FE Student Segmentation profiles. We also shared the promising early impact of this approach in practice; including how one college saw a significant rise in HE confidence after tailoring their activities based on segments.

I’ve written a short blog reflecting on the session and some of the conversations that followed.

READ BLOG

---

Thanks for reading.

If you’re not already connected, come and say hi on LinkedIn.