DIANNE’S STORY: CATALYSING REAL CHANGE

- THE BACKSTORY

RAISE Conference 2013The Future of Student Engagement:Partnerships, Practices, Policies and PhilosophiesNottingham, 12th-13th September

Neil Currant, Research LeadDianne Regisford, Researcher / studentSuneela Ahmed, Researcher / student

By D-Empress, worked on during the interviewing process

AuthenticityCatalysing Student Engagement

Community / Identity / Sense of place

To explore lower completion and attainment rates for BME students

Engaging stakeholders to raise awareness of the issue being researched.

Combining Institutional data with qualitative interviews

Technical / analytical intelligence & context / issues intelligence

INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS BY STUDENTS

Authentic Voice

Credibility

Why am I involved?“Every year I have felt that literature and theories on architecture of the third world is very limited- thus the course contents have a western tilt- both in terms of content and theory. The question about overcoming this problem has been a burning issue for me personally for the last eight years.” Suneela

"I wanted to participate in doing something that could make a difference for black students in higher education. I was not willing to be part of a rubber stamp exercise - this was about catalysing REAL change." Dianne Regisford

• “It highlights how genuine partnership with students can create wider impact beyond just the scope of the project.” Neil

unknown 0-199 200-299 300-399 400-4990.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Gap

The attainment gap is bigger for students with lower entry tariffs.Entry tariff

Attain

ment

gap

• Contrast with national data (e.g. Richardson 2008)

• Which suggests the gap is similar across all entry tariffs

• The largest completion & attainment gaps tend to be in departments that teach STEM subjects.

• Although there is no correlation between the popularity of a course with BME students and the gap.

The gap is greatest for mature BME students

Further education

Other

State

Independent

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

Good completion gap

Good completion gap

The gap is greatest for BME students from Further Education Colleges…

Even though white students from FE do as well as white students from schools

BME students are less likely to have a known disability

Suggests that about 7.5% of BME students are not getting the additional support to which they might be entitled.

Motivation “We were being told to do a poster about someone who inspires you from your country, someone you can relate theories to blah-blah-blah and all us African students chose to do a black person.”

“if you tell me I talk about Simon Cowell, he doesn’t inspire me in any way. The Queen doesn’t inspire in any way, I cannot relate to her.”“my lecturer found it very interesting because one of the things that made me got an A in that particular poster is the passion that I had and the work that I had put in it.”

Compared to:“I wanted to do something to do with race. I can’t remember exactly what the study was now but I kind of got told not to do it.”

“The one we ended up doing was so boring I can’t even remember what it was and I think the fact that it was boring meant I didn’t put a lot of work into it. So I did get a bad grade, well not bad but for me not great, like I know I could have done better.“

Curriculum and assessment that is relevant to students’ contexts.

How to (NOT) handle race in the classroom:“even in my classes like cultural and linguistic diversity, they shy away from race.”“it does feel like my teacher censors herself.”“seeing my lecturers completely ignore race issues because they’re uncomfortable about it, that really bothers me a lot.”“I kind of get annoyed so I’ll pay a bit less attention in classes.”

DOES THIS HAPPEN?“let’s do everything to get them in”“OK they are in now but are they likely to have other problems to maintain a sustainable study programme.”“what are their support needs? In terms of finance, social, family. These are the problems I have faced.”“once you are admitted you can easily get lost in the system.”

“Are student support staff trained to deal with this area.” “So I decided to consider myself lucky that I was admitted to university…so I decided not to complain.” Student 10

“I went to counselling a bit last year which was terrible…She was sort of shutting down the way I was thinking about it…I’d like to have someone, as a black person or as a mixed person to be able to talk to, to relate to these kind of issues.” Student 1

WHERE NOW?‘Holding Environments’ (Brookfield & Holst 2011) - spaces for like-minded people to share, develop and support each other.

Better use of Global citizenship graduate attribute

Explicit statement about inclusive teaching, learning and assessment in new Student Experience strategy.

Greater staff training and awareness raising for inclusive learning, teaching and assessment

Targeted interventions for programmes with larger gaps

Review entry requirements for programmes with large gaps

IT WOULD ALSO BE NICE TO:Change national policy in relation to OFFAMany ‘home’ BME students have more in common with international students.Multiple categories overlap: BME, gender, socioeconomic, disability.And actually what is success – so called ‘good completion’?