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:
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BME attainment gap - background
Research/horizon scanning
Derby approach
PReSS
Results
What next for Derby?
Q/A
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’)
Diverse Body of Students
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 Way
Vs
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
Academic
Processes
Submission
Type
Flexibility
Feedback
Understanding
Classification
Spiky
Degree
Profiles
Autonomy
in Learning
Folk
Pygmalion
pedagogies
Effect
Relationships
Cultural and
Psychological
Social
Processes
Capital
Individualisation
Internal vs
external
Trust
University Culture
at Home
Locus of
Control
Being and
becoming
Information
for Parents
Students:
Vox Pops
Aspiration
Raising
Support
Encouraging
Responsibility
and
Accountability
Role
Models
BME Attainment Gap at Derby
Targets
‘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
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
A+
A
A-
B+
BME
B
B-
C+
White
C
C-
D+
D
D-
FM
F
NS OR
TJ
P
Z
What Works?
1. No Magic Bullet
2. Post-racial, inclusive approach required
3. A suite of different strategies required
• 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
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!
Results
Targets
‘Good
Hons’
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
BME
31%
33%
35%
40%
45%
50%
62%
63%
64%
65%
27%
23%
19%
15%
41%
OTHER
61%
61%
64%
Attainment
Gap
30%
28%
23%
PReSS Going forwards
• Challenges:
• Is the project ‘out of
control’?
• More than
action research
• Need more suggestions
for packs
• How else can we • Feedback on usefulness of
existing packs
assess impact?
Questions and Answers
References
•
Abrahams, D. (2012) Educational attainment in BME communities
http://www.debbieabrahams.org.uk/2012/educational-attainment-in-bmecommunities [accessed 6th May 2013]
•
QAA (2007) Subject benchmark statement Education Studies (2nd edition)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Educati
on07.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/QualityCode-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-thecity/ [accessed 6th May 2013]