De Staic Research offers research consultancy, surveys and independent evaluation for higher education institutions and their partners. We support projects exploring teaching and learning, student experience, staff wellbeing and inclusion, with particular interest in healthcare and professional education.
Our work draws on more than 25 years of applied research experience. We can support a complete project or provide targeted help with design, data collection, analysis and reporting.
Evaluate educational programmes and initiatives
We help clarify what an initiative aims to achieve, how it is expected to work and what evidence will be useful. Evaluations can examine delivery, participation, learning experiences and outcomes, using methods proportionate to the project.
Relevant areas include educational innovations, simulation and clinical skills learning, professional development and initiatives linking higher education with healthcare practice. We can bring together perspectives from students, educators and partner organisations.
A realist approach to understanding change
We ask what works, for whom, when and under what circumstances, and why. This means exploring how programme activities interact with participants’ experiences and the learning environment to produce different outcomes. Findings can help explain variation and inform adaptation to other groups or settings.
Student experience and inclusion
Surveys, interviews and focus groups can explore students’ experiences of learning, support, belonging, accessibility and opportunities. We consider how recruitment and participation may affect whose experiences are heard, and how findings can inform practical improvements.
Our equality, diversity and inclusion research can help investigate differences in experience and the barriers students or staff encounter.
Staff satisfaction and wellbeing
We offer staff surveys and qualitative research for academic and professional services teams. Topics can include workload, communication, management, recognition, development and organisational change.
Methods, analysis and reporting
Support includes evaluation frameworks, questionnaire and topic-guide development, online surveys, interviews and focus groups, SPSS analysis and qualitative analysis supported by NVivo or ATLAS.ti. Reports explain the evidence, its limitations and the implications for decisions.
We work with commissioning teams to agree appropriate participation, confidentiality and governance arrangements. Where change is measured over time, we consider follow-up participation, comparability and other factors that may influence the results.
Research training for staff and students
Tailored sessions are available online or in person for small staff groups, alongside individual undergraduate and postgraduate tuition. Explore SPSS tuition and training, NVivo tuition and training and AI in research and evaluation.
Discuss higher education research or evaluation. Tell us about your programme, the questions you need to answer and your timescale.
