果冻影院

The 果冻影院 BAME Awarding Gap Conference: 5 Years On, took place a month ago at the Institute of Education. Students, academics and professional services staff from across 果冻影院 attended the conference. Its aim was to highlight the progress made in the last five years in addressing the disparities in outcomes and experiences of undergraduate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and White students in line with 果冻影院鈥檚 Access and Participation Plan. Alongside highlighting key achievements, outcomes and learnings, the conference looked at how 果冻影院 will continue to work towards closing other awarding gaps, such as the number of first and upper-second class degrees achieved in the future. The conference also included a keynote speech from cultural historian and British Black Studies lecturer Sofia Akel, as well as several presentations from academics and practitioners.听

"果冻影院鈥檚 awarding gap has dropped significantly. During the pandemic, this dropped as low as 0.4%"

Over the years, 果冻影院鈥檚 awarding gap has dropped significantly. During the pandemic, this dropped as low as 0.4%, with mixed assessments creating a major difference. However, these figures simply provide an average metric 鈥� they do not capture the individual experiences across faculties. But it鈥檚 not just raw student marks that formed the focus of the conference. It also highlighted that other factors play an important role 鈥� a poor student experience for example, can result in awarding gaps. Focusing on addressing this aim in particular, the BAME Awarding Gap Project worked to recognise and ensure that students were and continue to be important stakeholders in reducing inequality in educational attainment. 听The Student Curriculum Partners Scheme (SPSC), and the launch of the Student Success Team at the start of this academic year form two such initiatives that aim to prioritise and ensure the importance of the student voice by working with multiple underrepresented student groups at 果冻影院.

"The Student Curriculum Partners Scheme offers students an opportunity to share their perspectives on the inclusivity of modules"

The Student Curriculum Partners Scheme offers students an opportunity to share their perspectives on the inclusivity of modules to academic and Student Success staff. Student feedback on content reading lists, mode of delivery and assessments are then discussed with module leaders, following which agreed changes are implemented. There were 258 student reviewers during the 2022/23 academic year, rising from 47 reviewers at the inception of the BAME AG project in 2017/18. This covered 43 modules across eight faculties which were reviewed.听

"behavioral and cultural change is also a bottom-up process, with the empathy of academic staff towards students playing a major role"

However, it has been challenging for the project to recruit modules to take part in this review. The project also found some resistance from STEM staff. For many, curriculum changes could lead to the loss of scientific 鈥渙bjectivity鈥� in their respective modules. However, Dr听Julie Evans, project co-lead and a faculty tutor in Brain Sciences, challenged this by saying that science isn鈥檛 as 鈥榦bjective鈥� as we think, and STEM modules deserve as much scrutiny from students to make the curriculum more inclusive. She reiterated that just like the project鈥檚 main goal, the aim is to enforce both behavioral and cultural change.听
鈥淒ata can help empower module leaders, who may be resistant to making changes in the curriculum,鈥� said Professor听Parama Chaudhury, project co-lead and Pro-Vice Provost (Education - Student Academic Experience).听

One of the main insights from the conference was that this behavioral and cultural change is also a bottom-up process, with the empathy of academic staff towards students playing a major role. Mr听Haydn Kirnon, a teaching fellow in Spanish Translation Studies from School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) is one such rockstar - having featured as Runner Up in the Student Choice Awards 2022. From a Black Caribbean background, he attributed generational thinking to be a reason why he never challenged the status quo back when he was a student. But when he became a professor, he saw first-hand the importance of having an open dialogue with his students.听

The formation of the 果冻影院 Student Success Team in January 2023 was also another method through which the project aimed to aid in behavioural and cultural change. Headed by Paulette Williams, the previous BAME Awarding Gap Project co-lead, this team functions in line with 果冻影院鈥檚 Access and Participation Plan and extends support to not just BAME students but also priority groups - including disabled, mature, care-experienced, forced migrant and estranged students to ensure that these under-represented groups benefit from their intervention.

"If you enter via a contextual or Access 果冻影院 offer, you鈥檙e statistically less likely to receive a First or a 2.1"听

鈥淭he data suggests they also have awarding gaps,鈥� said Rebecca Surin, the Student Success Manager. 鈥淚f you enter via a contextual or Access 果冻影院 offer, you鈥檙e statistically less likely to receive a First or a 2.1. Whether you achieved the standard entry or not, you鈥檙e still less likely (to graduate with a First or 2.1).鈥� Tackling awarding gaps is also part of their job. 鈥淲e do a lot of departmental outreach work, run briefings for departments, and also organise a speaker series for students and staff,鈥� said Ms听Surin. These events are in their pilot phase now, with the project going 鈥渇ull throttle鈥� next academic year.

The establishment of the Student Success Team isn鈥檛 the only highlight of the 2022/23 academic year. Professor Kathy Armour, who officially opened the conference, highlighted the extensive work around the 果冻影院 Strategic Plan, including the enabling projects focusing on our education provision, which are aimed at directly supporting and facilitating key education initiatives such as the work on the BAME awarding gap. This year has also seen the laying out of 果冻影院鈥檚 new educational strategy via the Strategic Education Projects 2022-27, which consists of four educational projects. This includes the 果冻影院 Educational Framework for the Future, with its forward-looking plans for students graduating in the 2030s, the Institute of Higher Education, Development & Support (HEDS) to support a conducive environment for innovative teaching and assessment practices which forms part of the agenda under the new Programme Architecture, and finally a Student Life Strategy to enable a holistic experience for students by integrating co-curricular activities within the mainstream curriculum.听

"The BAME awarding gap focuses on undergraduate students, but we鈥檙e a very postgraduate university as well, so it鈥檒l reach everyone in the end"

With these developments, the BAME project can also find incentives to expand. 鈥淭he BAME awarding gap focuses on undergraduate students, but we鈥檙e a very postgraduate university as well, so it鈥檒l reach everyone in the end,鈥� said Professor听Chaudhury.

With these new strategies, it is hopeful to see a plan in place to solve structural problems within 果冻影院 and ensure that all students can benefit and achieve their full potential.听

Links

• Watch a video of conference highlights听on
• Find out more on the BAME Awarding Gap project webpages

About the author

Karthik Vinod is an aspiring science journalist, with bylines in media publications on physics, history of science, mental health and more. He has a background in astrophysics, having done an integrated master's degree at the University of Manchester. He is part of the inaugural cohort of the听Student Journalism Scheme.