“No one can do everything, but everyone can do
something”: An holistic approach to reducing the
attainment gap
Andrew Clutterbuck, a.clutterbuck@herts.ac.uk
Sarah Flynn, s.j.flynn@herts.ac.uk
Nathan Ghann n.1.ghann@herts.ac.uk
@UH_Andrew
@sarahjaneflynn
@nathanghann
Introduction
We will present our discussion from three key perspectives:
• Institutional Commitment
• Staff development and an inclusive curriculum
• Empowerment of students
We will report on the activities that we have initiated and will share some of the
challenges and successes that have enabled us to reduce the gap.
We hope you will
• Discuss the rewards and challenges associated with reducing the attainment
gap; consider an Institutional approach to reducing the attainment gap and
identify initiatives and/or activities that may be applicable within your own
Institution
Institutional commitment: the people
Role
Reason for involvement
Representation of
minority ethnic staff and
students
Pro Vice-Chancellor (UK
Education Partnerships)
I am committed to
achieving a fairer and
more equal society in
which diversity and
cultural difference is
celebrated. Being involved
in the SAT is a fantastic
opportunity to make
things happen that will
benefit everyone in the
University community.
I am a British white male
and my wife identifies
herself as black British,
and my two daughters as
mixed Black British/white.
My academic expertise is
in Religious Studies which I've taught in
secondary schools and on
degree level courses at
the University - and my
especial research interests
are in Islam and Religious
Education/Religious
Studies.
Institutional commitment: the data
Institutional commitment: the data
Institutional commitment: the data
Performance of UH students according to ethnicity
80
Percentage 'good' degree
70
60
All students
50
White
Asian
40
Black
30
Chinese
20
Mixed
Other Ethnicity
10
0
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
Institutional commitment: the data
Percentage of students achieving a 'good degree'
80
74
70
69
74
73
71
60
54
53
48
50
45
45
40
30
20
10
0
08/09
09/10
10/11
White
11/12
BME
12/13
Institutional commitment: the data
Performance vs tariff point entry
100
90
Percentage 'good degree'
80
70
60
Asian
Black
50
Mixed
40
White
30
20
10
0
120-239
240-299
300-359
360+
Institutional commitment: the rationales
The
Educational
rationale
The Social
Justice
rationale
The Business
rationale
Institutional commitment: the goals
Our objectives
In 2012 we set agreed measurable, strategic equality objectives for 2012-16:
Objective 1 - Provide effective equality advice, guidance and support to all staff
and students.
Objective 2 - Enhance engagement and communication with staff and students on
equality matters.
Objective 3 - Work towards reducing the differential
in degree attainment between White and
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students by
10 percentage points by 2014/15.
Objective 4 - Enhance employment opportunities and identify and address barriers
to the recruitment and career progression of staff.
Objective 5 - Collect and analyse monitoring information effectively to advance
equality of opportunity for diverse groups.
Institutional commitment: the goals
Tackling the attainment gap at UH
Identification
of
performance
gap
Institutional
commitment
to reduce the
attainment
gap from
Development
of Institutional
wide action
plan
No one can do everything but
everyone can do something
Staff
development
Student
empowerment
BME Student Success Project at UH
Staff development approaches
2 University
Committee Away
Days (60 attendees)
Generic Workshops
(20 attendees)
Annual L&T
conference (220
attendees)
Professional Units
and Academic School
Conferences/Away
Days (500 attendees)
Bespoke Workshops
for Academic Schools
(60 attendees)
(50 attendees/year)
Discussion Forums
(40 attendees)
Unconscious Bias
workshops (over 500
attendees)
Students’ Union
Executive Meeting
(10 attendees)
PGCertLTHE
Toolkit Development
http://tinyurl.com/7gmmmnu
Inclusive group work
4
3
4
3
5
2
1
1
4
1
5
2
2
2
3
5
3
1
2
1
3
5
4
4
5
5
4
3
1
2
Tutor’s desk
•Set first task in pairs e.g. checking understanding of previous
seminars
•Set next task in 3s and give people roles in the group
Top Tips to support BME student
success
• Learn student names
• Invite participation from all students
• Manage student groups to move students
beyond friendship groups
• Assess your own racial or cultural biases
• Consider opportunities for students to be
inspired by BME role models (e.g. guest
lecturers, video clips or interviews)
• Whenever possible, use anonymous
marking
Conference
Hertfordshire Business School
Student Empowerment through the
Student Development Programme
Student Demographics
• 88 students were registered onto the programme
– 65 of whom signed up voluntarily
– An additional 23 students referred to us as ‘At Risk’
Ethnic Background
Amount of students
Mixed/Other…
Asian Pakistani
24%
First Year
Second Year
62%
14%
Final Year
Asian Indian
White Other
Black Other
Black African
0
10
20
30
What skills do you most want to
develop?
1. Academic writing
(67%)
3. Exams & Exam
revision
(51%)
2. Time management
(55%)
As a result of the programme, which
areas are you more confident in?
1.
Understanding lecturers expectations in assignments and exams (87%)
2.
Knowing where to find appropriate resources that help you on your academic
course? (86%)
3.
Undertaking an exam (80%)
Engagement and Confidence results:
• 72% students stated they felt more engaged in their degree course
• 77% of the students felt much more confident in their degree course
• 100% of the students were satisfied with the support they received and would
recommend the Student Development program to a friend
Overall Results
• 55% achieved a good degree average (2.1 or higher) with 66% of all students
achieving a First Class in one or more of their modules
• Overall 9 out of 10 students (93%) stated they felt the programme had been
effective in helping them develop academically
• 100% of ‘At risk’ students that engaged were retained on their course of study
Student empowerment
Key learnings and best practices
1.
Assessment comprehension
Recommendation: Self-evaluation forms/checklist
2.
Lower self-perception of academic ability
Recommendation: More inclusive teaching
3.
Incorrect academic expectations
Recommendation: Expectations effectively communicated
Getting comfortable with being
uncomfortable
Andrew Clutterbuck, a.clutterbuck@herts.ac.uk
Sarah Flynn, s.j.flynn@herts.ac.uk
Nathan Ghann n.1.ghann@herts.ac.uk
@UH_Andrew
@sarahjaneflynn
@nathanghann