Raising Aspirations: our commitment to outreach

Raising Aspirations: Our commitment to outreach

Contents

1 Our Commitment to Outreach 2 Summer Schools 3 Experience Cambridge 4 The Subject Matters and Subject Masterclasses 5 Challenge Days 6 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity Outreach 7 Further Education and Mature Student Outreach 8 Children in Care and Care Leavers 9 HE Partnership 10 HE+ 11 Departmental Outreach 13 College Area Links Scheme 16 CUSU Shadowing Scheme 17 Open Days 18 Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences 19 Higher Education Conventions 20 Publications 21 Digital and New Media Back cover Calendar of Events

1

Our Commitment to Outreach The University of Cambridge has a long history of engaging in outreach; we have offered summer schools to disadvantaged students in conjunction with the Sutton Trust since 1998, and our work with black, Asian and minority ethnicity (BAME) students began some ten years before that.

Significant changes in recent years have fundamentally affected access to higher education (HE); initiatives such as Aimhigher have ended, student funding arrangements have altered, and demographics are changing. However, one constant in this ever changing landscape is our commitment to widening participation and our efforts to deliver high quality information to students. Our work in this area – which we have collectively described in this publication as ‘outreach’ – is enormously diverse.

In 2010-11, in addition to the £6.3 million distributed to students from low income households through the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, the University, Colleges and Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) spent £2.7 million delivering outreach initiatives. Through these initiatives, we were able to engage with more than 150,000 students and teachers through more than 5,500 events and interactions1.

approximately 32 per cent of additional fee income on such measures by 2016-17.

We are immensely grateful to all those – donors, third party organisations, the Colleges and departments, CUSU, the Cambridge Admissions Office, and our student helpers – whose involvement and contributions make this work both possible and successful, and greatly value the partnerships that have developed in the process.

What follows here is a taste of some of the initiatives currently on offer.

Jon Beard Director of Undergraduate Recruitment jon.beard@admin.cam.ac.uk

In 2011, we reasserted our commitment to outreach when renewing our Access Agreement with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA)2 by committing to spend

1

Please note that participation in our outreach initiatives does not influence whether the Cambridge Colleges invite applicants for interview or offer them places.

2 www.offa.org.uk

2

Summer Schools

n n n

Offered in association with the Sutton Trust since 1998.

One of the largest summer school programmes in the UK. Typically, 50 per cent of participants each year go on to apply to Cambridge; for 2011 entry, 35 per cent of those were made offers.

Research by the Sutton Trust shows that students attending summer schools are considerably more likely to apply to, and take up places at one of the participating universities compared to students who applied for but did not attend a summer school1. This is reflected by our own data.

Competition for summer school places at the University is fierce. In 2011-12, more than 4,500 applications were received for the 661 places available. Priority is given to academically able students who have no family history of progression to higher education; who attend a school/college with a point score at A Level that is below the national average; who live in an

1

area of low progression to higher education; who have spent time in care; who are from a minority ethnicity background; and/or who will be applying as a mature student.

Students who are unsuccessful in gaining a place on a summer school are invited to take part in our other initiatives, such as Experience Cambridge (see opposite) and the Subject Masterclasses (see p4).

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/ year12summerschool/

Do The Sutton Trust Summer Schools Have An Effect On University Applications And Entries? (2011) Kendall and Schagen, NFER

3

Experience Cambridge

n

n

Alternative programme offered to applicants who were unsuccessful in gaining a place on a summer school.

More than 200 students engaged in a three-week subject-based project in 2012.

Entry to summer schools at Cambridge is highly competitive, and we are unable to offer places to every competitive applicant.

Consequently, in July 2012 we invited the most academically strong of those who did not secure a summer school place to take part in a new initiative called Experience Cambridge.

Over a three week period, Experience Cambridge participants were set a task or series of problems relating to a specific topic not covered within their Year 12 studies.

A moderated online forum system provided means for them to share ideas, ask questions and debate the topic with other participants and

current Cambridge students. The project culminated in a one-day event held at one of the Cambridge Colleges, which included lecture sessions based around the pre-event task, structured group seminars and an admissions question and answer session.

The pilot, which encompassed a range of arts and science subjects – Engineering, Physics, English, History, Law, Mathematics and Medicine – engaged 221 students. Feedback received has been positive and 63 per cent of respondents said they were ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to consider applying to Cambridge having participated.

4

The Subject Matters and Subject Masterclasses

n

n

n n

The Subject Matters events provide guidance for Year 11 students on A Level subject choice.

Subject Masterclasses offer Year 12 students subject enrichment and a taste of undergraduate teaching.

5,000 students attended one of these events in 2011-12.

40 per cent of Masterclass attendees have applied to the University.

The Subject Matters

Subject Masterclasses

Making the right subject choices for A Levels (or equivalent) is a fundamental step towards making a successful application to a highly selective university. The Subject Matters events offer guidance and practical help to Year 11 students to help inform such decisions.

Many students do not know what to expect from teaching at highly selective universities, and have had little exposure to ideas beyond their A Level syllabus. The Subject Masterclasses provide Year 12 students with the opportunity to explore a subject of interest in greater depth and experience undergraduate teaching at Cambridge.

In 2011-12, we offered six Subject Matters events which attracted 1,752 students, 46 per cent of whom came from schools meeting underrepresentation criteria (above average proportion of students in receipt of Free School Meals; below average proportion of students achieving five A*-C at GCSE; little or no history of sending students to Cambridge).

In 2012, 18 Masterclasses were offered in subjects including Mathematics, English, Genetics, Engineering, Languages, Medicine, History, Music, Politics, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology, and attracted 3,122 students. Of the 1,548 students who attended the Masterclasses in 2011, 40 per cent went on to make an application to the University, and 41 per cent of those applicants were made an offer of a place.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

5

Challenge Days

n

n n

A series of one-day HE taster events offering academic challenge to bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

1,500 students attended from schools across the UK. 80 per cent of participants attend schools with low GCSE scores or high Free School Meals eligibility.

Challenge Days are one-day taster events designed to introduce the idea of higher education to large numbers of academically able students from targeted schools , and build and strengthen relationships between the University and schools in areas of high deprivation and below national average attainment.

These events provide a high level of academic challenge, allowing students to develop non-curriculum interests

and be encouraged to aim high in their studies. Each Challenge Day consists of a series of lectures and activities introducing higher education, delivered by academics and admissions staff, alongside current undergraduates.

In 2012, 871 Year 10 students and 593 Year 12 students from 147 schools attended one of 19 Challenge Days.

Applications came from a broad geographical range of schools and colleges, from approximately 60 local authorities. Of those accepted, 47 per cent of participants met both targeting priority criteria (below national average GCSE scores and above national average Free School Meals eligibility), with a further 33 per cent meeting one of these criteria.

Feedback from teachers has been positive, with all rated aspects of each day achieving between four and five on a five point scale (where five is excellent and one is poor).

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/challengedays/

6

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity Outreach

n

n

n

Cambridge’s BAME outreach programme – originally instigated

by GEEMA (the Group to Encourage Ethnic Minority Applications) – has existed for more than 20 years.

In that time, undergraduate admissions from UK BAME students have risen from five per cent to 15 per cent of the total.

180 students nominated by partner organisations engaged in a progressive new programme in 2012.

Work with students from black, Asian and minority ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds is one of the longeststanding strands of outreach activity at Cambridge and one of the most successful. Since this outreach activity began, admissions from UK students identifying themselves as from BAME backgrounds have increased by 10 percentage points and, now at 15 per cent, are consistent with the UK BAME population at large (14.2 per cent)1.

Issues remain which have significant bearing on BAME work. Academic attainment remains particularly poor amongst some ethnic groups, hindering entry to selective universities; UCAS evidence suggests an inclination among minority ethnicity students to focus their applications on institutions in areas with large BAME populations; and

1

Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey: 18 to 24 Year Olds www.generating genius.org.uk 3 www.windsor-fellowship.org 2

BAME students tend to apply to a narrow range of highly competitive subjects, such as Medicine and Law. In order to address some of these issues, in 2012 we introduced a core strand of activity to progressively engage with a group of 180 of the most academically able students in Years 10 to 12 through a programme of one-day skills workshops, subjectspecific projects and residential summer schools. Students invited to participate in the scheme are nominated by third party organisations, such as Generating Genius2 and the Windsor Fellowship3.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/bame/

7

Further Education and Mature Student Outreach

n

n

Outreach activity specifically focused on these underrepresented groups – students attending FE colleges and mature students.

84 FE students and 37 mature students attended tailored summer schools in 2012.

Data shows that further education (FE) sector students of standard age are the least likely of all groups to apply successfully to higher education4, and have been influenced the least by national efforts to widen access to selective universities5. In order to combat these issues, we offer a residential summer school and an application support day for FE students, and in 2011-12 made 37 visits to 34 FE colleges around the UK.

Mature students (those aged 21 or over when they commence their higher education course) typically have more complicated circumstances to consider than standard age applicants. They can be more concerned about achieving after periods out of education (both achieving a place on a higher education course, and their potential to achieve on that course), time pressures, family commitments6, and cost implications7. In order to support prospective mature students, we offer a dedicated summer school and an application support day, and liaise with relevant colleges, agencies and organisations to provide advice about the application process. We also run a PREP Course each year, which is designed to assist mature offerholders with the transition to Cambridge.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/fe/ www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/mature/

4

FE students have a 74 per cent success rate compared with 78 per cent for all students, UCAS Statistics Online (www.ucas.com/about_us/stat_services/stats_online/) Applications, Offers and Admissions To research led Universities (2009) Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and The Sutton Trust 6 For Me or Not for Me? (2002) Davies, Osborne and Williams, Department for Education and Employment, Research Report 297 7 Potential Mature Students Recruitment To HE (2011) Ross et al, Department for Education and Skills, Research Report RR385 5

8

Children in Care and Care Leavers

n n

n

University awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark in 2010.

1,090 students and 515 supporters engaged in 16 day events and seven virtual visits in 2011-12.

Realise initiative recognised as an example of good practice in the sector by an independent enquiry.

The proportion of young people who have spent time in care who go on to higher education is very small, largely due to a gap in prior attainment – just seven per cent of care leavers achieve five A*-C grades at GCSE, compared with 52 per cent of students nationally1. However, in spite of the numbers being relatively small, engagement with this group is a high priority for the University.

In 2010, we achieved the Buttle UK Quality Mark, which is awarded to higher education institutions which demonstrate a minimum commitment to the support of students who are (or have previously spent time) in care2. Care status is a priority selection criterion for our outreach events, and time spent in care is also flagged in our admissions process in order to ensure that these students’ educational and social context is carefully considered by our selectors. Those admitted are offered additional financial support and year-round accommodation, should they want it.

1

During 2011-12, we engaged with 390 students in care of all ages in a series of day events in Cambridge through our Realise initiative. We also engaged with a further 700 students and 515 foster carers and social workers through virtual schools. In October 2012, Realise was mentioned as an example of good practice by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Looked After Children3, and that same month we admitted seven students who had spent time in the care system.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/care/

Children Looked After In England 2008-09, DCSF www.buttleuk.org 3 www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk/data/files/Education_Matters_in_Care_September_2012.pdf 2

9

HE Partnership

n

n

n

A collaborative project continuing activity in local schools initiated under Aimhigher.

Incorporates HE Getaways – an innovative strand which provides opportunities for students to experience higher education at a partner university.

Engaged with 3,000 students in Years 9 to 11 in 2011-12.

In 2011, after seven years, the government-funded national Aimhigher programme was discontinued. To ensure continuity of higher education information and guidance provision for younger students in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, we took the decision to continue to offer the aspiration-raising programme to local schools under a new title: HE Partnership.

In 2011-12, our HE Partnership programme delivered 76 sessions at eight schools to approximately 2,300 students in Years 9 to 11, and offered several other events to a wider group of schools, involving University departments, Colleges and industry. One particular innovation was the introduction of HE Getaways in collaboration with the Universities of Coventry and Bedfordshire, which took 40 students from five schools to experience higher education in an unfamiliar environment outside their home region.

The schools engaged in the HE Partnership are those which have significant cohorts of students from non-traditional backgrounds (with little or no family experience of higher education). There is a particular focus within the programme on younger learners in order to challenge low aspirations at an early stage.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/hepartnership/ (available from 2013)

10

HE+

n

n

n

A unique collaborative project engaging with school consortia across the UK. 930 of the brightest students from 36 schools in the pilot areas engaged with HE+ activities in 2011-12.

30 students involved in the 201011 pilot successfully achieved places at the University in October 2012.

Every year a number of students who secure grades that would make them competitive applicants to Cambridge or Oxford choose not to apply. In some instances, these are students who have been attending schools/colleges with little or no experience of preparing students for entry to highly selective universities, and lack peers within their year group of the same potential and who share their aspirations. Our HE+ programme provides such students with a community for whom aiming high is the norm, rather than the exception.

The HE+ initiative is unique in that it encourages schools to collaborate to form regional consortia and to engage their very best students in a sustained year-long programme comprised of academic extension classes, subject masterclasses, information and guidance sessions, and visits to the University, all delivered by the Cambridge College linked with their area (see p13).

To date, consortia have been established in Rotherham, HuddersďŹ eld, Manchester, Stourbridge and Cumbria. In 201213, the pilot is being extended to Swansea, Hereford and Hampshire and it is projected that more than 1,000 students will be involved in the initiative in total.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/access/heplus.html www.myheplus.com (available from 2013)

11

Departmental Outreach The University’s academic faculties and departments offer an extensive yearround programme of engagement with the arts and sciences1. There are initiatives for all ages, from primary upwards, which aim to encourage enthusiasm and educational confidence, and consolidate learning. The following pages outline two such examples.

The Cavendish Laboratory Educational Outreach n

n

1

Extensive physics outreach programme established more than 30 years ago.

Engages with more than 12,000 students and teachers annually.

The Department of Physics (the Cavendish Laboratory) has been engaged in outreach activity for more than 30 years, and aims to raise aspirations, widen participation and increase awareness of physics for students aged 11 to 19 in the East of England and beyond.

demystify the subject and improve the transition from school-level physics to university-level physics.

The Department’s programme of events is continually expanding and a varied calendar of activities is offered, ranging from half-day workshops for small groups, to twoday residential courses for teachers and the three-day Physics At Work exhibition, which attracts 2,300 student visitors and exhibitors from research and industry each year.

The Cavendish Laboratory also runs the five-day Senior Physics Challenge for Year 12 students to

In October 2012, a new collaboration with several Cambridge Colleges was initiated to target students in areas of low participation to raise aspirations both in regard to university study and their future prospects in physics.

In 2011-12, the Cavendish Laboratory engaged with 12,390 students and teachers from 1,280 schools and colleges through 90 different outreach events.

Further information www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk

Further information about outreach activities offered by the University, museums, departments and student groups can be found in the online Outreach Directory (www.cam.ac.uk/outreach/).

12

Music Outreach n

n

The only university music department in the country with a full-time Outreach Officer.

Since 2009, volunteers have given more than 2,000 hours of time to support the projects and initiatives that have engaged with more than 8,000 people.

Since its outreach programme began in 2009, the Faculty of Music has piloted a number of initiatives to demonstrate what studying music at university is like, introduce some of the key skills needed for the academic study of music at degree level, and highlight the opportunities which a music degree can open up.

In 2012, 62 Year 11 students and 130 Year 12 students participated in the Faculty’s Studying Music Taster Days. The programme for the Taster Days included academic taster sessions to experience the teaching methods used at Cambridge, tours, talks, a practical class, and question and answer sessions about higher education with current undergraduates. In addition, a

further 65 Year 12 students took part in an intensive series of Set Work Analysis sessions, developing important analytical skills alongside our academics and students.

During 2012-13, the Faculty is piloting a new outreach project – The Music Hubs Programme – working with schools in Manchester and Buckinghamshire. The Programme will concentrate on developing key skills and knowledge that will prepare students for the study of music at degree level.

Further information www.mus.cam.ac.uk/outreach/

13

College Area Links Scheme

n n n

Area Links Scheme established in 2000.

Every area in the UK linked with a Cambridge College.

Facilitates the delivery of schools liaison activity on a national level.

The Area Links Scheme was established to enable the Cambridge Colleges to build effective, coherent relationships with schools and colleges across the country. Every area of the UK is now linked with a College.

The Scheme enables the Cambridge Colleges to get to know specific regions better, and gives schools and colleges a more personal and direct way to interact with us. Because local circumstances and needs differ, there is variation in the range of activities and events that each College offers to schools/colleges in the region(s) it is linked with.

What all Colleges share is a willingness to provide students and their teachers/supporters with advice and guidance, and to listen to their perspectives on what we can do to help make Cambridge as accessible as possible to all academically strong students.

The next two pages provide examples of some of the extensive work being conducted by Colleges.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/arealinks/

14

Churchill College Outreach n

n n

Working with schools in link areas in England and South Wales.

Actively engaged with 43 schools and colleges through visits.

Ran the first Cambridge Teachers’ Roadshow for Wales in 2012.

Churchill College is linked with several local authority areas in England (including Surrey, Sussex, Croydon, Merton, and Sutton), as well as South Wales. In 2011, the appointment of a new Schools Liaison Officer allowed the College to develop stronger relationships with the 15 local authorities with which it is linked in Wales.

The College has conducted extensive work with the Welsh and UK governments to establish the educational context of South Welsh students, and has visited or received visits from 43 Welsh schools and colleges since October 2011. The College was also represented at the Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference in Cardiff (see p18) and the West Wales and Cardiff UCAS Conventions (see p19), and is central to the development of the HE+ initiative in Swansea (see p10).

In July 2012, Churchill, Magdalene and Newnham Colleges delivered the first Teachers’ Roadshow for Wales, travelling to five schools across Wales to speak with teachers and careers advisers. Staff from every school and college in Wales were invited to attend. Feedback has been very positive, with more than 75 per cent of attendees giving the highest possible rating for the information and guidance it provided.

Further information www.chu.cam.ac.uk/admissions/ undergraduates/finding_out_more. php

15

Clare College Outreach n

n

Working closely with schools in link areas of Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Guidance offered to more than 2,000 students in 2010-11.

The Clare College School Programme is extensive and has two main objectives: to encourage gifted and talented students to apply to Cambridge; and, more generally, to raise aspirations at all levels. To do so, the College works with children aged eight and older to instil self-confidence and pride.

To achieve their objectives, the College’s two Schools Liaison Officers run a two-fold programme that involves Clare academics, graduates and undergraduates – school groups of different ages are welcomed to the College on day trips and residential events, and College representatives go out to visit schools. A range of events are organised to introduce students to university life, the application process and independent study in a subject that inspires them.

Clare College also runs a number of bespoke events, including a sixthform mentoring programme in Tower Hamlets and a STEM sixthform programme for students in Hackney; several current Clare students are beneficiaries of these schemes.

Clare College’s outreach work is generously supported by Clifford Chance, KPMG and Morgan Stanley in Tower Hamlets, and Linklaters in Hackney.

Further information www.clare.cam.ac.uk/Informationfor-Schools/

16

CUSU Shadowing Scheme

n

n n

Provides the opportunity to experience daily life as a Cambridge student.

286 places offered in 2012.

More than a third of participants typically go on to apply to the University.

The Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) Shadowing Scheme provides UK students with the chance to experience life as a Cambridge student first-hand. The Scheme, which has been running since 2000, targets those with little school or family experience of university, and those who have reservations about applying to Cambridge.

Each January and February, CUSU offers the three-day residential Shadowing Scheme, during which around 300 Year 12 students have the opportunity to ‘shadow’ current undergraduates, attending lectures and social events with them.

1 2

The Scheme is enormously popular, with 1,833 applications made in 2012. Feedback shows that 91 per cent of the 2012 participants left the Scheme feeling that Cambridge was a realistic prospect, and 43 per cent were actively confident about applying to Cambridge1. Data from the 2011 Shadowing Scheme show that 34 per cent of the 330 participants made an application to Cambridge, and of those 33 per cent received offers2.

Further information www.applytocambridge.com/ shadowing/

Shadowing Scheme 2012 Report (2012) CUSU (www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/access/ss2012report.pdf ) Data from tracking carried out by the Cambridge Admissions Office

17

Open Days

n

n

n

15,081 bookings received for the University-wide Cambridge Open Days on 5 and 6 July 2012.

Almost 90 per cent of Cambridge Open Day attendees subsequently expressed an intention to apply.

96 College and department open days held during 2012.

Open days provide an opportunity for prospective applicants and their advisers to visit Cambridge and see for themselves what studying at the University might be like. Each year around 100 open days are offered, which enable visitors to find out more about our courses and the College system, to see our world class facilities, and to speak to current students and academic and admissions staff.

Our open day visitors come from across the UK and around the globe – for example, during the Cambridge Open Days in 2012 we welcomed students from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.

Feedback provided by Cambridge Open Days attendees is consistently excellent – subject and College sessions routinely attract scores greater than four out of five. Data show that for 2009 and 2010 entry, at least 27.5 per cent of students admitted to the University attended a Cambridge Open Day.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/opendays/

18

Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences

n

n

n

Nine large-scale conferences held at seven venues across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

7,500 students and 1,000 teachers/advisers attend annually, more than 75 per cent of whom are from the state sector.

15 per cent of student attendees go on to apply to Cambridge.

The Student Conferences are a joint venture with the University of Oxford which allow both Universities to reach out to the best and brightest Year 12 students wherever they may be found in the UK, and effectively take open days to those who might otherwise not engage with either institution.

Each one-day Conference offers a programme of sessions to provide the latest information on the courses we offer, student life, finance, the application process and graduate career opportunities.

Attendees are able to speak to academic and admissions staff as well as current undergraduates from both institutions, and separate sessions are available to cater to the specific information needs of teachers and advisers.

During March 2012, nine Conferences were held in seven venues in Greater London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Leicester, Newcastle and Merseyside. The events attracted 8,354 students and teachers from 673 schools and colleges, 77.6 per cent of which (where known) were from the state sector. In 2013, the Welsh Conference is being relocated to Swansea in order to improve accessibility to the event for a greater number of Welsh students.

Overall, 15 per cent of those who attended a Conference in 2010 (1,493 students) went on to apply to Cambridge for 2011 entry. Of those, 28.3 per cent (422 students) were successful in being made an offer to study at the University.

Further information www.studentconferences.org.uk

19

Higher Education Conventions

n

n

University exhibited at 41 largescale regional higher education conventions across the UK in 2012.

These conventions provided exposure to approximately 250,000 attendees and enabled direct engagement with more than 30,000 students and advisers.

Each year the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) organises a series of around 50 higher education conventions across the UK. These regional events provide higher education institutions with the opportunity to advise large numbers of prospective applicants face-to-face about their courses and the application process, and to signpost to sources of further information.

These events are attended by approximately 250,000 students (primarily in Year 12) from more than 2,500 schools and colleges.

Several other similar events also exist outside the UCAS network.

In addition to the multitude of smaller school/college careers and HE fairs attended during 2012, we exhibited at 41 of these large-scale,

regional conventions, during which 28,700 copies of the Undergraduate Prospectus were distributed to prospective applicants, along with additional tailored advice and guidance.

A core advantage of these conventions is that they provide a means by which we can come into contact with students and advisers who may not have previously considered Cambridge for various reasons and who, as such, would be unlikely to attend a CambridgespeciďŹ c event.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/events/hefairs.html

20

Publications

n

n

n

Undergraduate Prospectus and associated recruitment collateral redesigned in 2011-12.

Guides available to cater for speciďŹ c audiences and information needs, for example teachers/HE advisers and parents.

Increased publication-website cohesion to ease and improve applicant journey.

Access to high quality information for as wide a constituency as possible is vital if we are to attract the brightest and best applicants from all backgrounds, and who are suitably prepared and equipped for study at Cambridge. Despite the increase in access to and consumption of online information, there continues to be great demand for printed prospectuses and related literature, which remain crucial reference tools for prospective students and play an important role in shaping initial impressions of the University.

The Undergraduate Prospectus is reviewed annually by conducting market research with the core target audience, the feedback from

which is used to inform ongoing development of all literature and ensure that tone and content remain relevant.

In 2011-12, the Prospectus and satellite recruitment literature underwent a major redesign in order to bring these resources upto-date and in line with current market needs and expectations.

Subsequent research has found that the redesign has been very well received by the target market.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/publications/

21

Digital and New Media

n

n n

n

Undergraduate Study website restructured and redesigned in 2011-12.

Microsite for the Be Cambridge campaign launched.

Undergraduate Admissions Facebook page has received more than 7,500 ‘likes’.

More than 600,000 views and 1,200 ‘likes’ on YouTube of undergraduate study-related films.

In 2008, we set out an aspiration to improve the means by which we communicate with prospective applicants and their influencers.

Specifically, we wished to demonstrate the positive transformative effect which Cambridge can have on a student’s life, to provide grounded and objective information about the University to support applicants as they make their choices, and to reassure applicants that Cambridge is a diverse community in which anyone can thrive and grow.

In 2011-12, the Undergraduate Study website was fully restructured and redesigned (in conjunction with the redesign of the Undergraduate Prospectus). The website, which received 1.8 million unique visits last year, was rebranded and its content reorganised to improve site navigation and relevance to different interest groups.

Approximately 10 per cent of visits to the website are made via mobile devices, for which our webpages are being optimised.

Scoping work we commissioned suggested that short films are an important communication vehicle.

Early pieces (which can be found on the dedicated Be Cambridge microsite) included student-

centered films designed to inspire students to engage with the University. The focus in 2011-12 was on ‘Support’ and six films were produced to simply explain the admissions process, while a further 26 films showcase the courses that we offer. In total, the films have now attracted more than 600,000 views and achieved a 95 per cent approval rating.

We have also created a Facebook presence which delivers information and includes, amongst other features, feeds from the 12 student blogs on the Be Cambridge microsite. A mobile application for the University-wide Cambridge Open Days is in development for launch in 2013.

Further information Be Cambridge www.becambridge.com Undergraduate Study new media resources www.study.cam.ac.uk/ undergraduate/info/videos/

Calendar of Events The calendar below provides an overview of some of the key outreach events to be offered by the University, Colleges and CUSU in 2013.

January January to February January to February February to May February to October 15-27 March March to July March to September 17-19 April 2-5 July 4-5 July July July to August September Throughout the year Throughout the year

Mature Students’ Open Day CUSU Shadowing Scheme Challenge Days Subject Masterclasses College open days Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences Department open days Higher Education Fairs and Conventions Teachers’ Conference FE Summer School Cambridge Open Days Mature Students’ Summer School Sutton Trust Summer Schools Mature Students’ Application Support Day BAME Events Children In Care Events

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

Cambridge Admissions Office Fitzwilliam House 32 Trumpington Street Cambridge CB2 1QY 01223 333308 admissions@cam.ac.uk www.cam.ac.uk

Details are correct at the time of printing (November 2012) but should be checked against the Undergraduate Study website for the most up-to-date information. © University of Cambridge, 2012 Designed by Cambridge Design Studio Printed by MWL Print Group