practical recipes for student success – closing the student attainment gap at the university of...
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Practical Recipes for Student Success – closing the student attainment gap at the University of Derby
Jean Mutton, Student Experience Project Manager, j.mutton@derby.ac.uk
HERAG Think Tank, 23rd June 2014
Overview
This presentation will cover:– BME attainment gap - background– Research/horizon scanning– Derby approach– PReSS– Results – What next for Derby?– Q/A
Black, minority ethnic students= BME students
Derby University
• Derby is a modern (post 1992) university with a diverse student body of 23,000 +
• 1 in 5 define themselves as ‘Black Minority Ethnic’ (inc International, EU and Home students)
• Widening Participation agenda across HE• Nationally, the ‘good honours’ (1st or 2i) attainment
gap of UK-domiciled BME students in 2010/11 was 18.4% we asked - what is the picture at Derby?
(Ref: ECU ‘Equality in HE: statistical report 2012’)
BME Attainment Gap
• The educational attainment gap in schools has a significant impact on who actually goes to university.
• There is already a significant gap by the age of 5.• Children from poor backgrounds are only half as likely
to go to university as their more affluent counterparts• In higher education the ‘social’ and ‘gender’ gaps
persist and can be subject specific• The biggest attainment gap within higher education
exists between white indigenous students and BME students
Source: Abrahams, D. (2012)
Post Racial and Super Diversity…
”it is crucial that we don’t restrict our notion of diversity to issues of ethnicity, faith and immigration status – as though it were in a separate silo from other kinds of diversity – disability, gender, age and sexual orientation – which is what people in the equality field also mean when they talk about equality of opportunity and inclusion” Dr. Sarah Spencer (Senior Fellow) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) http://citiesofmigration.ca/ezine_stories/sarah-spencer-super-diversity-and-the-city/
Remove labels and move away from the “deficit model” to a model that makes positive use of ‘social’ and ‘cultural capital’
Move from ‘integration’ to ‘inclusion’. Much current practice is the former……
Horizon Scanning for Solutions• We looked across the sector, internationally, nationally
and here at Derby for best practice and research into what works.
• We joined the Higher Education Race Action group HERAG which is an HE group looking into race in HE, staff and students
• We made contact with staff in other universities who were researching into BME attainment through networks such as RAISE‘
• Disparity in Student Attainment Project (DISA)– A joint venture between Coventry and Wolverhampton
• All Parliamentary Party Group Inquiry response.
One WayVs
Two Way
Student Pedagogies
Quality of Relationships
Fit to Submit
Assignment Types
Assignment Brief
Interlocutors Empathic Pedagogies
Relationship with the University
Blind Marking
Support Signposting
Dissertation Marking
Autonomy in Learning Feedback
Submission Type
Flexibility
Spiky Degree Profiles
IndividualisationInternal vs
external
Folk pedagogies
Locus of Control
Being and becoming
Trust
Understanding Classification
Aspiration Raising
Encouraging Responsibility
and Accountability
Support Role Models
University Culture at Home
Students: Vox Pops
Pygmalion Effect
Information for Parents
RelationshipsAcademic Processes
Psychological Processes
Cultural and Social
Capital
BME Attainment Gap at DerbyTargets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
BME 31% 33% 35% 40% 45% 50%
OTHER 61% 61% 62% 63% 64% 65%
Attainment Gap 30% 28% 27% 23% 19% 15%
BME Attainment Gap at Derby
• BME attainment gap for 2011/12 by individual module grade
A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- FM F NS OR TJ
P Z0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
BME White
What Works?
• Confidence and aspiration raising
• Development of inclusive teaching practices and promotion of a partnership approach - (anticipatory and proactive)
• Continual enhancement of assessment methods and approaches including the promotion of assessment choice
• Development of inclusive feedback approaches
• Promotion of discipline specific academic writing skills
• Be reflective – review strategies regularly and ensure the needs of ALL learners are being met
1. No Magic Bullet2. Post-racial, inclusive approach required3. A suite of different strategies required
PReSS
Easy for staff to access and use
• Packs are downloadable as word documents for easy customisation
• Blog format allows users to post feedback and suggestions
The Derby Approach
• PReSS!
• But also……Preparing to Start University (VO)
…Students as partners…Students as mentors
…Transition Pedagogies…And more!
ResultsTargets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
BME 31% 33% 35% 40% 45% 50%
OTHER 61% 61% 62% 63% 64% 65%
Attainment Gap 30% 28% 27% 23% 19% 15%
Targets ‘Good Hons’
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
BME 31% 33%41%
35% 40% 45% 50%
OTHER 61% 61%64%
62% 63% 64% 65%
Attainment Gap 30% 28%
23%27% 23% 19% 15%
• Challenges:
• More than action research
• How else can we assess impact?
PReSS Going forwards
• Is the project ‘out of control’?
• Need more suggestions for packs
• Feedback on usefulness of existing packs
References• Abrahams, D. (2012) Educational attainment in BME communities
http://www.debbieabrahams.org.uk/2012/educational-attainment-in-bme-communities [accessed 6th May 2013]
• QAA (2007) Subject benchmark statement Education Studies (2nd edition) http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Education07.pdf [accessed 6th May 2013]
• QAA (2013) UK quality code for higher education chapter B4: enabling student development and achievement. http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Quality-Code-Chapter-B4.pdf [accessed 6th May 2013]
• Singh, G. (2013) Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) attainment: interventions and next steps https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwS56FFHhG7ebmRvZWI0LWVGN00/edit [accessed 6th May 2013]
• Spencer, S. (2012) Super diversity and the city http://citiesofmigration.ca/ezine_stories/sarah-spencer-super-diversity-and-the-city/ [accessed 6th May 2013]
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