Impact Research

Our approach to evaluating the impact of­­ our educational products and services

Oxford University Press works closely with teachers to develop the most impactful resources. Our impact research provides us with a way of demonstrating– in a structured and consistent way – that our products and services make a real difference.

Commitment to Excellence

As you would expect, everything we develop at OUP is created with rigour and care to captivate and engage learners. As part of our commitment to excellence, we work closely with teachers and educational professionals to undertake various forms of impact research from classroom observations, surveys, and case studies to rigorous impact studies. These can be undertaken from the concept of a product, through its development, and after launch.

A group of school children can be seen working on digital tablets, they are all working happily

Insights and Evidence

As we conduct ongoing impact research across the lifespan of our products, we are building a portfolio of insights and evidence to understand better how our products achieve optimal teaching and learning outcomes. This approach ensures that our products are designed to meet, and continue to deliver, the educational outcomes that matter most to our customers across the globe.

Once our products have been in use for at least 6 months, we may conduct an Oxford Impact study, a rigorous process for assessing a particular change that a product or service has on the group of people it is intended to help or benefit. It enables us to investigate changes that have taken place during the product’s use and the extent to which these changes can be attributed to that particular product. Find out more about Oxford Impact studies and the rigorous process we developed with the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and supported by Oxford University Department of Education.

“Having evidence of impact is very important because it shows that a resource is effective and worth the investment. It helps teachers and schools make informed choices, ensures better learning outcomes, and prevents wasting money on materials that do not work.”

Head of Department, Nigeria

"Impact studies lead to improvement, plain and simple. As teaching professionals, we should study the impact on students of everything we do, and it's reassuring to know OUP do the same."
Maths Co-ordinator UK
"There are plenty of benefits. Of course, it benefits OUP in that it shows the wider teaching and learning community that they are committed in not only releasing new materials, but in also finding ways in which to improve them and thus better equip schools with approaches that work. Teachers gain a lot of valuable insight from studies like these, which can greatly impact on our own practices and reflect on how to implement changes that would improve our teaching.”
Classroom Teacher China
“The evidence allows us to decide which is the best resource for our students and we are able to also look for value for money."

Classroom Teacher Belgium

“Impact studies help to inform and guide choice. At a time when time and money are short, it is useful to have research to call upon before key decisions are made.”
Teacher Training Officer UK

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Learning Design

Discover how we use the science of learning to help learners acquire, retain and apply their knowledge and skills in the most effective way possible.

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Oxford Impact studies

Discover more about Oxford Impact studies and the rigorous process we undertake.

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Wellbeing impact study

Find out what we discovered in our evidence analysis study looking at the impact of promoting wellbeing on student academic and non-academic outcomes.

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