Datasets are often under-exploited by institutions, yet they contain evidence that is potentially of high value for planning and decision-making. This article shows how institutional data were used to determine whether the demographic background of students might have an influence on their performance: this is a matter of particular interest where participation in higher education is being widened. Analyses showed that, whilst area of domicile appeared to be related to lower performance in a few disciplinary areas, much stronger relationships were evident in respect of other demographic variables. The use of nonparametric analyses based on cutting module performances at the median, rather than using raw scores, is of methodological interest since the distribution of raw marks is influenced by the subject discipline.

Along with the rest of the education sector universities have been encouraged to develop strategies for educational improvement. The strategies that have emerged have been heavily influenced by the policies and priorities of the government and government agencies, such as the Quality Assurance Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council, and the targets set as a consequence of these policies and priorities. The government's emphasis has been on such things as fitness for purpose and value for money, whilst at the same time demanding high standards of quality assurance and widening participation. To what extent are the demands for educational improvement and the approach to this taken by the post-1992 university sector justified or supported by the current research in this area? It is the conclusion of this article that there is a paucity of directly relevant research, but that the research that does apply indicates that the sector needs to rethink its approach to educational improvement if it wishes to avoid the impoverishment of the education it provides.

An evaluation of first year sports students' experience of computer aided assessment and lecturers' perceptions of its impact on learning and teaching. Advantages and disadvantages of traditional versus computer aided assessment are discussed.