Case studies
We work closely with our clients to design bespoke research that meets their needs and have been privileged to deliver robust, evidence-based insights to some of the most exciting organisations in the education sector. You can also visit the research reports page to explore our public-facing work, including free independent research.
Student recruitment events research
A UK university student recruitment team were keen to understand the opinions and needs of teachers and higher education advisors across a variety of schools and sixth-form colleges to explore what, ultimately, makes the university stand out from competitor institutions.
Universities, HEIS and FEIS
Competitor intel, institutional solutions
Springer Nature wanted competitor insight to support the development of a new division, encompassing a number of platforms and products across three key areas: research, data & analytics, and content. Nature were looking to better understand these markets, and the competitors within them.
Publishing and media companies
Cardiff School of Management Executive Education research
Cardiff School of Management wanted to better understand the executive education market in terms of current and future trends – to create a strong strategy for their professional and executive education programme and to differentiate it from competitors.
Universities, HEIS and FEISSchool activities review
A university school wanted to reflect on their school activities and to better understand potential new directions. They undertook a multi-stage process internally to do so, and commissioned Shift to conduct the third stage of this research.
Universities, HEIS and FEIS
Level 2 language qualification research
The National Extension College (NEC), a not-for-profit distance learning provider, wanted to explore the potential viability of an online level 2 language qualification – looking for evidence to support decision-making.
Public sector and not-for-profit
Student research
Stratford BID wanted to look into how they could best support students living in the Business Improvement District area, and boost the economy in the original town centre in the process.
Building a professional development programme
Northumbria University and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust partnered to develop a professional development programme that transformed organisational culture. They wanted to explore the potential for the programme to reach even more audiences within the public sector.
Universities, HEIS and FEIS
Apprenticeships EPAO Research
Shift helped this UK-based awarding organisation understand the market for apprenticeship End Point Assessment by researching the competitor landscape for key sectors of growth in which City & Guilds increasingly operates.
Awarding organisations, Universities, HEIS and FEIS
Student response systems in higher education
Using desk research and 27 depth interviews, we helped Macmillan explore the overall market landscape for student engagement systems, customer perceptions of competitor products and the value proposition for their iClicker.
Publishing and media companies
Understanding primary school leaders’ priorities
Shift carried out quantitative and qualitative research with primary SLT to explore the key areas schools are focusing on this year and how this has changed from last year.
Publishing and media companies
Apprenticeship research
The Science Council and its members wanted to develop methods of engagement with learners on science-related apprenticeships. They commissioned Shift to carry out this research, which included exploration of apprentices’ needs and the challenges they face in their learning – to provide a better understanding of features they desire from professional body membership.
Master’s programme development
King’s College London were developing a new master’s course and sought research to test reactions to the proposed new degree, and identify which audiences were most likely to respond to it positively.
Universities, HEIS and FEIS
