Making the grade: Assessing NCVER's research

Does NCVER’s research have an impact? The answer is yes, according to a forthcoming report which examines the impact of NCVER’s research.

It is all very well to publish a lot of research but what really counts is whether it is being used to inform policy and practice. However, measuring impact is not an easy task and the extent to which it is possible to do so effectively and robustly generates considerable debate.

Our approach considered current thinking about assessing impact to develop a model suitable for NCVER’s purpose. The model identifies four areas of interest: knowledge production, capacity building, policy and practice.

This model was used to look at the impact of several reports. It identifies significant examples of where research has made a difference across the various categories. To cite an example, one report has become a touchstone for a Federal Government department in training policy development for Indigenous people.

“Impact is not only facilitated by producing reports,” says co-author Francesca Beddie. “This project confirmed that it’s also crucial to consider the needs of the audiences of research.”

“Getting it to them in the right way at the right time remains a big part of the job for NCVER and its researchers,” she says.

Assessing the impact of NCVER's research is available at
www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2152.html